“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere“—The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | On Jan. 20, 2025, local NAACP chapters sponsored numerous celebrations throughout Georgia in honor of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., famed civil rights leader and slain national hero.
Even though it was a very cold day, the parades went on around the state, and were well attended. Local speakers were inspiring, advocating for justice, unity, diversity and continuing civil rights progress.
As an NAACP member, long-time admirer of MLK Jr. and civil rights supporter, I was there for the rally in my home county. The local high school marching band was tremendous, as was the Giwayen Mata African dance group. For someone like me who loves soul and blues, the music by the local “Simply Awesome Band” was… true to their name… simply awesome.
People born in the last few decades do not realize just how life- changing Dr. King’s accomplishments were. His legacy is tremendous for all of us as Americans. As Governor Kemp said:“From his early life, growing up in Atlanta, throughout his travels across the country fighting injustice, he was never content to look the other way when he came to confronting the problems of his days.”
The Supreme Court ruled that public school segregation was unconstitutional (Brown v. Board of Education, 1954). However, Southern states chose to ignore that decision. Over 10 years later, I graduated from a totally segregated high school in Cartersville. Believe me, our schools were separate, but not equal in any way.
Dr. King believed in non-violence. He led many protests leading to the desegregation of that high school and all other public schools in Georgia and the nation. Plus, the bipartisan passage of many laws including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968, came about because of the pressure he placed on political leaders, like Lyndon Johnson.
Today more work is still needed to fulfill the promise of equality for all. We cannot forget the past… but it must be remembered accurately.
Confederates attempting to destroy the United States of America in the name of perpetuating slavery is clearly not a part of our Southern heritage of which we should be proud. Many are still fighting that battle.
It took until 2018 for the Atlanta City Council to take the long overdue step of renaming three Atlanta streets that were named after pro-slavery Confederate leaders of the rebellion against the Union.
In the last several decades, we have made tremendous progress in achieving Dr. King’s vision of a truly color-blind society. However, there is clearly more work to be done to reach the full promise of Dr. King’s most-famous 1963 speech: “I have a dream that one day out in the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood……I have a dream……,.”
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