Over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, protesters across the country sought to reclaim the radical, activist legacy of Dr. King by taking to the streets in protest of ongoing police brutality. Frustrated that his work has too often been softened and sanitized, protesters stressed that Dr. King’s original tactics, which were often direct and controversial, are desperately needed today if the United States is to effect lasting change.
“[Dr. King] has become more of a vague idea and people forget that he was a person that marched the streets,” one protester in Washington D.C., Caroline, said.
“They need to be talking about real activism and real change and not just having a day off work and saying the name.”
Another woman, Janelle, described Dr. King as “a great leader but also part of a larger movement that is still trying to combat the same injustices that he was fighting against.”
Marching with three children under the age of ten, Janelle explained their presence bluntly.
“This problem isn’t going to go away,” she said.
These protests were part a broader national movement motivated by organizations like Ferguson Action andBlackLivesMatter, dubbed the “Year of Resistance and Resilience.” In Washington D.C., a crowd gathered in front of the White House and proceeded to block traffic and stage “die-ins” as they marched through the city. Protesters also shared poems, speeches, and songs to encourage and convict any who could hear. One young woman declared a message of hope as she sang Sam Cooke’s 1963 “A Change is Gonna Come:”
Oh there been times that I thought I couldn't last for long / But now I think I'm able to carry on / It's been a long, a long time coming / But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will.
Cooke’s words are timely as organizers try to galvanize frustration at the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and others into a lasting movement. Another woman read from Assata Shakur’s “Youngblood,” a poem that offers similar hope in the midst of great pain. The last stanza reads:
They think they killed you.
But I saw you yesterday.
All them youngbloods
musta gave you a transfusion.
All that strong blood.
All that rich blood
flowing through your veins
toward tomorrow.
Such a poem may give young protesters confidence that their blood can bring back the life of those who seem to have been killed in the fight “toward tomorrow.”
In addition to the performance of poems and songs, the lead organizer of the D.C. march, Ebony Washington, stressed the importance of using language that honestly describes the gravity of police brutality, especially in light of the recent Charlie Hebdo attacks and America’s ongoing “War on Terror.”
Calling the shooting of Tamir Rice “an act of domestic terrorism,” she urged protesters to “be real about” the “epidemic” that continues to incite fear in black and brown children, their mothers and fathers, and indeed their entire communities.
Ebony also called on good cops to support the movement against bad cops. Angered by police unions that emphasize intra-police unity over their commitment to protect and serve, she argued cops must be “Americans first and then cops second.” In her view, police officers who are not active perpetrators of police brutality cannot passively observe injustice in silent complicity. As she put it, “how can you call yourself a good cop and you don’t speak out for the people being abused?”
Although organizers were demanding many changes to police behavior, one particular local policy took the spotlight: “jump-outs.” The focal point of many protests in D.C. over the past few months, the policy describes when multiple police officers jump out of unmarked police car in an effort to intimidate (often black) citizens into interrogation or unwarranted search. As they marched through different communities in D.C., organizers prioritized collecting signatures on a petition against this policy.
As the Year of Resistance and Resilience marches on, it remains to be seen exactly how Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy will shine. Will America truly remember him as the “person who marched in the streets?” Will marches that advocate his style of direct confrontation spur diverse communities to action? And will new faith leaders rise up to carry the torch of his prophetic witness? Regardless of how these questions are ultimately answered, Dr. King’s construction in the cultural imagination of America will certainly continue to be an important flashpoint in the struggle for racial justice.
Ryan Stewart is Online Assistant at Sojourners.
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!