I would very much like to punch Sarah Palin in the face. I’d like to think that Dr. King would take one look at her and say, out loud, “Bitch, please.” His non violent approach would forbid him from punching her outright, which is why I’d do it for him. Palin, and those like her try to turn any person of color into a racist, just because we identify and reflect on the fact that there are some who will view us differently simply due to the color of our skin. I’m used to that, but for her to do such a thing while invoking the ‘I have a dream’ speech on MLK day is straight up wrong.
Here’s the thing: I have it a hell of a lot better than my ancestors. I have it better than my mother by a long shot. I am in a world where being black is almost trendy in some places. It isn’t status quo, as being white is. I still face racism. I still live in a world where people scrunch up their mouths when my wife explains she is married to a black man. This is a tolerable circumstance in the face of Emmett Till and the Watts riots.
Here is the other thing: Racism did not miraculously disappear or even plateau because we have a black president. The fact he is called a black president when clearly his mother is white is proof that racism is far from gone. One drop black still means black, even in 2014.
This day I’m remembering Dr. King for what he would have done as much as what he did. King’s legacy is that we all carry with us this dream of a better tomorrow. We see the worth of hope and it makes change easier to sacrifice for. Sarah Palin ought to tweet that, and leave the quoting of King himself to those who are driven to pull his words out of context.