This week we passed another anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. In those 43 years since his passing, the world has changed for the betterment of humanity and yet, we are stuck, sometimes, on April 3, 1968 where nothing has really changed. I was born on Dr. King’s birthday of that fateful year and honored to share his birthday. I do not take it lightly. I wear it like a badge of honor because Dr. King was a mover and a shaker in this world. I believe he still is.
It upsets me to see that people cannot see the greater good Dr. King had when he spoke of his vision in the “I have a dream” speech. What I am speaking of is the birther movement in this country, chasing after our current president who is of color and one who is trying to put this country back on course. I feel as though we have stepped back into time and are in Selma, Alabama once again, ignorant and stupid.
When U2’s The Unforgettable Fire was released, I was in high school and I was one of the only ones in my class who liked the record. It was a far departure from their previous release, the War LP, but that was okay. The band took on a bigger figure in Dr. King and praised him for what he had done. Why did it take an Irish band that had very little connection to this man to write such a prophetic song? I don’t know but they did and I have been hooked on the band ever since.
U2 has picked up the gauntlet left behind by John Lennon and Dr. King. Their activism is what makes them great. Their music makes them special. As we sit and watch our country fall apart at the edges, let us think of one thing ”what is the betterment for all of us in the human race?” I think the answer is to get along, walk in peace and make sure those less fortunate get a chance in this world. Remember that famous line “the rich are getting richer and the sick stay poor.” How prophetic.
