#MLK 50th Anniversary
Neil Foote, President & Founder, Foote CommunicationsEven though an assassin’s bullet took the life or the Rev.-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 50 years ago, his presence surrounds us. King’s life left the world with so many resilient qualities that are synonymous with any good brand – passion, consistency and inspiration. Let’s be clear - King is not a product, but the work he did in his short 39 years is remembered and emulated today.In many ways, King might be smiling at how he has inspired a new generation. His fight for economic and racial equality, access to voting and quality medical care and advocating nonviolent protest are themes that are proudly being replicated in protests around the country. He would have walked side-by-side with the 800,000 youth participating in the “March for Our Lives” event on The Mall in Washington, D.C., not so coincidentally the same place he gave his legendary “I Have a Dream” speech. Remember, he and other civil rights leaders organized the Children’s Crusade in 1963 in Birmingham, Ala. where thousands of kids skipped school to protest segregation. That’s when Sheriff Bull Connor sent out the police and dogs to arrest and deter the protestors and used firehouses to try to stave off the nonviolent protestors. That drew disdain from leaders around the world until finally the U.S. Justice Department intervened. King would applaud the tens of thousands of teachers across the country who are marching on state capitols to demand better pay and the tens of thousands of men and women of all races, calling for an end to the fatal shootings of police of young black men.At the same time, King is probably grimacing, wanting to remind us that there is still so much work to be done. He would remind us that the historic election of the nation’s first black president was a poignant moment in this country, but one miniscule step toward a better nation – and a better world. King always preached – right up to the day of his death – that we cannot sit on our laurels, expecting the evils of social and racial injustice to fade away – just because. King knew that the problems with race in America were borne in the disproportion of income in the country.In his 1967 book, “Where Do We Go from Here? From Chaos to Community”, King refers to a 1966 letter written by the late Hyman Bookbinder, the assistant director the Office of Economic Opportunity. Bookbinder acknowledges then, what is still so relevant now, that to end poverty, increase affordable housing and improve education, that there must be sacrifices: “The poor can stop being poor if the rich are willing to become even richer at a slower rate.” King goes on to write, “Furthermore, [Bookbinder] predicted that unless a “substantial sacrifice is made by the American people,” the nation can expect further deterioration of the cities, increased antagonisms between races and continued disorders in the streets.” Sound familiar?What we know King would want now is that there is a concerted effort involving a massive grassroots movement, but also one that involves legislative leadership and corporate investment in changing the culture of their companies and the communities in which they live and work. Admittedly, King never wanted the movement to be about him. He wanted the movement to be about us. He wanted it to be a collective effort by all facets of this country to fulfill an elusive promise to achieve fairness and equity for all.[author]About the Author: Neil Foote is a veteran journalist and media executive. He draws from his experience at the Miami Herald, Washington Post, Belo Corporation and Tom Joyner’s Reach Media. He also teaches digital and social media for journalists, media management and business journalism at the University of North Texas’ Frank W. & Sue Mayborn School of Journalism and runs Foote Communications, a media consulting firm. The native of Brooklyn, NY also is president of the board for the National Black Public Relations Society and founder of PoliticsInColor.com[/author]
