from the Movement for Black Lives –
So many who sing Dr. King’s praises today will speak of him as a moderate peacemaker, but in truth, he was a revolutionary who not only believed in peace and love but also militant organizing, sacrificing for Black liberation, and refusing to be silenced.
He was a Black man who was filled with rage, love, grief, joy, frustration, hope, and fear — feelings our community still knows all too well today. All those feelings moved him to fight for the freedom of our people against the white-supremacist, capitalist status quo.
He detailed a beautiful dream of a free and harmonious world, but he was not naive to the reality of what it would take to achieve. He also foresaw the possibility, even likelihood, of a rise in fascism in response to the progress Black people make toward freedom — a reality we saw play out then and that we are seeing again today, across the globe. He determined that a constituency of white Americans “have declared that democracy isn’t worth having if it involves equality.”
In Andre Henry’s article, “Dr. King Tried to Warn Us About American Fascism. Will We Listen Before It’s Too Late?” (January 18, 2022), he shares King’s prescient words: “The segregationist goal is the total reversal of all reforms with the re-establishment of naked oppression and, if need be, a native form of fascism.”
Fascism is a tool that white supremacy and capitalism have always turned to when their existence has been perceived to be under threat. It deals in lies, violence, and absolute control of all who would seek to dismantle it: Black and brown people, poor people, women, the queer and trans community, and other marginalized folks. It is a backlash we know to expect when we make headway in our mission for liberation.
However, knowing to expect it does not mean feeling ready for a mass shooter to show up in your grocery store; or for a nation’s capitol to be attacked in an…
Read the full article here
