On King’s Dream Day

Social justice issues such as gerrymandering, voter suppression, environmental justice, racism, sexism, ageism, the eviction of millions of people during a dangerous pandemic, and so on are about the holding and exercise of power. This power is expressed as white supremacy, systemic racism, cast, sexism...

Social justice issues exist because, to some, power is more important than people, more important than good governance, and more important than “the common good.” They believe in a Darwinian, Ayn Rand, world of objectivism. Democracy is a loathsome anathema. People who are not privileged should not vote because they will ruin the power structure that oppresses them and supports the select.    

These people base their flagrant and bold, purposeful, and unvarnished legislation restricting the right to vote on a cynical lie. They have decisively proven that Democracy is a myth. The dream King charged our nation with 58 years ago today is dead.

People who believe that reason must be tempered by faith are killing us by favoring political conspiracies over public health. A manifestly corrupt racist former president, twice impeached, who instigated an attack on our national capital, is a demigod for millions of our fellow citizens. He is their savior who will usher in an era of white greatness. Flags wave everywhere as a symbol of support for authoritarianism and anger at a perceived loss of privilege. Their fight for “freedom” is thus a struggle against liberal egalitarianism.

Is King’s egalitarian, inclusive, human rights-centered vision of Democracy dead? His widow said, “Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation.” Will our generation fight for King’s vision? The danger is great, and the stakes are too high for the kind of pathetic lethargy I perceive. Can we rise above our ingrained biases and fears to struggle for the ideal of true Democracy in our nation? I sincerely hope so. It is what I wake up every morning to write and speak about.