From the Editor:
As the infamous Boondocks episode so precisely portrayed, the imagery of Martin Luther King, jr. has been used by all sorts of companies hawking a product from McDonald’s to Bank of America. Many of the companies and other entities using MLK’s image and message for their own purposes would have most likely been targets of his organizing efforts. If Martin Luther King, jr. were still alive we can be sure that he would have already expanded his poor people’s campaign to include the current fight for workers rights and fair wages and he would have been very vocal about foreclosures and subprime loans.
When asking “What Would Martin Luther King Do?” and considering the most recent events and protests across the country, it is certain that Martin Luther King, jr. would be on the front lines of the growing demands for police reform. Martin Luther King, jr. himself had direct first hand knowledge of police corruption, excessive force and abuse of power. The civil rights movement was often targeted by police, beaten by police, attacked by police dogs and far too often local law enforcement and groups like the KKK were one in the same. When King was advised to stay out of cities, it was often the local police chief who took to the air waves denouncing King as a “trouble maker” and assuring good white citizens that any “negro rebellion” would be quickly quelled. There was also local police cooperation when King was assassinated.
The relationship between Martin Luther King and police was just as complicated as it is for every person of color, particularly Black men. Today on what would have been his 86th Birthday we remember King and honor his legacy by asking “What Would Martin Luther King Do?” #WWMLKD
Our conclusion is that In the pursuit of justice through police reform we have launched the site: www.MassPoliceReform.com and today we have released a letter asking the Department of Justice to investigate and help reform the Boston Police Department.
Feel free to use this image and the hashtag #WWMLKD
I also wonder “What would Malcolm X do?” Malcolm X is a hero of mine and, I think, his legacy is way underrated. He actually helped MLK, Jr., because his let’s say, “more rigid” approach to racism caused many to turn to MLK, Jr., as a voice of reason. White people were afraid of Malcolm X, because for him, violence was NOT out of the question… as a last resort. Over the years, Malcolm X was far less radical and he embraced all people that stood against racism, even white people. In my opinion, both MLK, Jr., and Malcolm X were with us at precisely the right time and for the right reasons. Together, they paved the way for Civil Rights to take hold. God Bless them both.