From a Quicksand of Racial Injustice…

From a Quicksand of Racial Injustice to a Solid Rock of Brotherhood

The Black Business News is pleased to welcome you to a 2014 tribute to the foremost American humanitarian, pastor, activist, and lofty contributor for civil rights — the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. (Dr. King).  Black-owned and operated business enterprises gained a momentous growth shift as a direct result from Dr. King’s consistent courageous action to change the sorely lacking equality for United States citizenry.  Commonly, his legacy does not fully reflect how his work vastly impacted the notion of economic parity in concert with social justice for this country and beyond.

Black business growth was rarely discussed within civil rights until Dr. King drove social and economic justice to the center stage with the 1955 year-long Montgomery Alabama Bus Boycott.  Nearly sixty years ago when current social media tools for crowd gathering methods were barely imaginary, this was an unprecedented economic boycott by taking on an implausible public demonstration, being carried out 100% by ‘American Negros.’  The start of this peaceful protest was vividly initiated by the late Rosa Parks who bravely refused to unseat her position from a whites-only designated section (Jim Crowe) of Montgomery City’s public bus.  The most memorable milestone from this event became the shifting attitudes in national political discussions referencing how should ‘coloreds’ receive the right to freely enter and work in white-controlled public and private sector organizations, to more appropriately discussing how society would better fair from ‘black’ owned, controlled and operated enterprises.

Dr. King’s terrific orations facilitated a jolt in national discussions addressing what if blacks operated their own bus company.  At this stage was when Montgomery City officials realized that such an outcome could radically shift the preferred economic balance of trade.  This led to the most monumental stoppage of patronage that immediately promulgated improved racially integrated ridership on all public transportation and other public facilities a reality.  When Dr. King stood up to outwardly unchangeable segregated governmental leaders his exertions served as a catalyst and wake-up call to eliminate human deprivation around the world.  Dr. King created a luminosity for our national leaders to better comprehend what is important, which is why Dr. King’s work matters so much toward making this a more perfect union.

The Black Business News pays homage to Dr. King and the countless numbers of those who spoke out and marched and sacrificed life and limb for social change.  The USA is far better off today where Dr. King made lucid how the USA must make good on its promissory note of equality.  A majority of American leaders benefited greatly with a consciousness shift from Dr. King’s voice that still serve our captains of industry.  His voice has long-lasting resonation helping to better understand the importance to eradicate conditions that sanction slum and ghetto like conditions that once unjustly comprised the landscape of urban cities and country towns.  By any measure, Dr. King’s resounding vocalizations made clear that racial inequality is an intolerable condition no matter who, when, where or how you find it.

Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 for taking care of business on behalf of humanity, which occurred during his planning of a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People’s Campaign.  He shared his dream of racial harmony that ostensibly generated action as in our lifetime the national and global picture of poverty has staggeringly improved.  Extreme poverty has been cut in half, child mortality is descending rapidly, and many local and global areas that had depended on welfare and foreign aid have become more self-sufficient.

This is why it gives pleasure to the Black Business News to feature the text of Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech (August 28, 1963) mainly to serve as the most eloquent reminder of the United States Declaration of Independence’s incomparable words that ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’  Dr. King recited these words in his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech to crystallize the apparent situation that was struggling for positive social change.  Dr. King referenced how he dreams of his four little children to not be judge by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.  Well, today this part of the dream is not a reality, as our public and private job and contracting screenings begin and end with checking a box of personal identification or certifying business ownership for color/gender versus inclusion consequential to character/human content.

Accordingly, it is necessary to pay attention to the meaning of honoring and acting on Dr. King’s legacy.  Whereas, it is devastating to know that racial conflict being one, countries heavily populated with black skin are still thriving far below the socioeconomic development pace than other predominated non-black geographical regions.  Dr. King spoke frequently on how developing societies that include in opposition to excluding creates basic health, relative prosperity, and fundamental equality.  Where, countries like Haiti, Senegal, Sudan, and other landlocked countries in central Africa have extensive work to complete in order to move forward.

On October 14, 1964, Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize (the youngest recipient) for combating racial inequality through nonviolence.  A widespread cliché that flawlessly describes the life of Dr. King is how one man can make a difference.  All the same, nothing can be more fittingly said about his legacy but from his own words; “No work is insignificant.  All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”  Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.