An apology letter to Dr. King

 By  T. Jamal Smith, WHMGTV

Dear Dr. King:

Sir, I write this letter as an offer of apology. As we approach what would have been your 82^nd birthday, I think about all that has happened since April 4, 1968. All of your hard work is under appreciated by many. I don’t know if we take it for granted or we just don’t really understand the struggle that existed during the civil rights movement.

 

In 1963, you were arrested and imprisoned in Birmingham, Alabama. You were simply trying to hold a peaceful protest, but the injustices of that day didn’t allow it. You used your time within the four walls of that cell to construct a document that has since become historic, the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”  You didn’t spend the time in jail trying to become a member of the crips, bloods, or black guerilla family. You spent that time appealing to your fellow clergymen to reach into their faith and correct the injustices that were occurring. That well thought out letter, which was perfectly penned, ended up being a major turning point in the civil rights movement. Now, we don’t realize how much knowledge and power we have. There are so many talented, knowledgeable young brothers imprisoned and have no idea how to utilize it.

In your letter, you expressed your disappointment with the church. You mentioned, “In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church.” You also said, “Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.” I understand situations were different then, but I share in your disappointment. I bet you would never imagine some of your fellow clergymen today have made multi-million dollar businesses out of the church. You would probably have a different level of absolute disappointment if you could see us now. Many of these “mega-churches” started out in low income urban areas before they acquired land and moved on to greener pastures. Unfortunately they left behind scores of people who were seeking and needing the gospel. Many of the communities have been left in peril.  Some of the pastors have even been accused of egregious allegations.  The black church has driven a wedge between themselves and black men with some of these allegations. I know much of this comes as a shock to you, but this is a sad reality that we’ve been living. We are looking for guidance. We know no man is perfect and you had your imperfections, but this lack of true leadership from your fellow clergymen is ridiculous. Your expectations then were clear; you expected the church to step up at a time of a state of crisis. We are in another crisis and just as your words say, I echo, “…the laxity of the church.” Clergy today could benefit from an open letter like yours. All we would ask is for them to remember the communities and to lead and guide us.

We’ve studied The Little Rock 9. We saw images of the impact of Brown V. The Board of Education. All you wanted was for us as colored people to have the same opportunities as whites had. Through the hard work of you and many others and unfortunately your death, we achieved that. Of course there’s still discrimination, there always will be, but that should be a call for us to work harder and continue to fight those injustices instead of using it as an excuse. Today however, we are dropping out of school, fighting in school, and not even going to school. Most Parent Teacher Association meetings are poorly attended. Can you believe that all you went through to allow all of us the opportunity at an education we now waste! I’m not sure if this saying existed when you were alive, but it’s downright sad, “If you want to hide something from a black person, put it in a book.” While this represents the minority, it’s enough of a distraction to affect our everyday lives. We deserve better and our people should want better.

You once said, “”Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.” Did you know that homicide is the leading cause of death among black males between the ages of 12 and 19? You were fighting a true enemy in your time. A group who was oppressing you and restricting your movement and opportunity, but yet you continued to handle it nonviolently. Today, cities like New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Detroit are plagued with violence. Not violence from white men attempting to oppress us, but by each other, the hands of other black men. We’re fighting over territory. These territories are the same streets you were probably arrested on and were certainly forbidden to even traverse. We need guidance. There is an abundance of internal and external hate within our community. We look to point fingers anywhere but ourselves.

But even with the doom and gloom I’ve laid out to you, there are some amazing people in this world. I know some remarkable people who are trying reignite your dream and get our young people back on track. Many of them including myself went to public school for free. Despite the perceived “lack of opportunities” in public school, many went on to Universities and Colleges, professional sports careers, entrepreneurs, law enforcement, and more. It’s great to see some of these same people back in their communities and others simply to help young people realize “the dream.” I think you would be especially proud of some of the women. I’m amazed at some of the leadership roles they have taken on to try and get our young black men back on track. This gives me hope for our future. But I’m sure as you know with Mrs. King, black women are as strong as they’ve ever been.

I know that you would be ashamed to see how we react to situations. Many of us nowadays use the excuses of discrimination, oppression and even slavery as a means of justifying our lack of forward progress. The truth is many of us haven’t experienced a percent of what you’ve experienced. Most of us have never had a Billy club held against us, a fire hose sprayed upon us or a police dog attacking us. We only have the images and stories of your struggle, which have only become a source for excuses of oppression.

A monument has finally been constructed in your honor in Washington, D.C. It’s not far from the exact spot you gave the “I Have A Dream” speech. I’m going to have the great pleasure of escorting a mentoring group of young men to the memorial to learn about you. My hope is that your words and image will strike a chord with them to act. We have overcome a great deal, we’ve also regressed. I use this letter to you as an apology for our actions, but as a call to order. The freedom fighters of the 1960’s and prior laid the foundation for us today to have better lives. We truly have that, but we should have better. You’ve got a commitment from me that I will do all I can to keep your dream alive. I write this letter not from a cell in Birmingham, but from a home where I live in a neighborhood with Jews, Blacks, Whites, Asians, and others. You had a dream that one day you could say “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!” Well sir, we are free and we WILL do better.

“The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy Birthday Dr. King.

Sincerely,

T. Jamal Smith