Liberal Elites Defile King’s Dream
By La Shawn Barber (08/27/03)
In 1963, many blacks still could not vote or use the same restaurants, hotels, public toilets or water fountains as whites. On August 28, 1963, 250,000 people descended on the National Mall to demand an end to government-sanctioned discrimination. Freedom was the platform from which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. He demanded that the United States make good on its promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all citizens.
Few people today are aware of the phenomenal progress made by black Americans while still under segregation. In 1963, King could only imagine how far blacks could go once discrimination was dismantled.
The 40th anniversary of the March on Washington was commemorated on the Mall on August 23-24, 2003. Despite 40 years of civil rights legislation and significant gains made by blacks, liberal elites still see phantom “Whites Only” signs in the distance. The rallying cry for freedom to pursue happiness is now a demand for a guarantee of happiness. This is not what King envisioned.
The U.S. Constitution is the most astounding document ever conceived, but guaranteeing happiness is not its purpose. Its function is to secure the unalienable, God-given rights of American citizens. The Constitution was drafted to ensure freedom from government interference in the pursuit of happiness. In 1776, the “divine right of kings” was formally rejected and replaced by the divine will of the people. Consequently, America became the freest, most powerful and wealthiest nation on the planet. And every citizen may participate.
In light of such principles, the end of human bondage was inevitable, although it took a civil war and the loss of 600,000 lives to do it. America didn’t invent slavery, but American democracy ended it.
A little less than a century after slavery’s end, King rose from obscurity proposing a radical idea--a colorblind society. While he knew he’d never see it in his lifetime, he gave his life for equal justice. King would surely be disappointed by liberal elites and career politicians who exploit his vision for their own gain. He’d be alarmed that his so-called successors consistently fail to address urgent matters in the black community, such as the cycle of poverty associated with black illegitimacy and the high rate of black-on-black crime. King would be dismayed to know that:
70% of black children are born out of wedlock.
85% of black children living in poverty are raised in single parent households.
94% of all black homicide victims are slain by other blacks.
Low-income black children are condemned to failing government-run schools because black politicians are beholden to teachers’ unions.
King would be distressed by the perverting of his vision. In the aftermath of the Civil Rights movement, race preference proponents have essentially redefined “civil rights” to now mean special rights for certain groups instead of those rights belonging to all individuals, including due process, equal protection under the law and freedom from discrimination. Race preferences bestow upon blacks special rights, setting them apart from the rest. This is not what King envisioned.
Try telling that to liberal elites like Jesse Jackson, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Kweisi Mfume, who believe blacks are still “struggling” for their constitutional rights. King’s own son, Martin Luther King III, claims that, “people of color are still being denied a fair share of…education opportunities in our society.” No kidding? How about supporting school voucher programs so that low-income children can get the skills they need to be competitive in today’s society? Jesse Jackson said that King’s dream has not been fulfilled because “crippling poverty” still exists for many blacks. Really? Then how about turning your attention from entitlements, set-aside programs and TV cameras and focus on reducing the rate of illegitimacy, the most accurate predictor of child poverty? I also have a dream!
Dr. King dared a segregated nation to embrace an idea that was extreme 40 years ago, the notion that individuals should be judged by their character and not by the color of their skin. Liberal elites are right about one thing: King’s dream remains unfulfilled.
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