I read many articles that honored this holiday. Two stood out to me the most.  The first one, “LeBron James Honors Martin Luther King Jr. By Calling Out Trump’s Racism” an article by David Moye, a reporter for the Huff Post. The second one, “Two of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Children Speak Out Against Trump”, by Alan Blinder, a reporter for the New York Times. Their words partly inspired today’s blog.

Unfortunately, unless you press on Google’s icon, or you are in school –or rather not in school because of the holiday – today is just another Monday.

I remember the first time I learned about who Martin Luther King was. I was 16, in a foreign high school. Surrounded by a foreign language that I barely spoke. I did fully understand English, it was just so different to speak it outside of an English class. I felt discriminated –at times– for speaking differently.

I was sitting in the front seat in my history class, in Riverside California.  The room held about 25 students, and a bunch of colorful posters; all of which attempted to lift up the spirits of the uninterested teenagers, prisoners of the monotonous educational system.

I remember how emotional and upset I felt when I learned what he stood for and what that cost him. I remember thinking he gave us, minorities, a voice –a strong and peaceful one, at that –.

He was murdered for speaking his mind. He was murdered for standing up for those without a voice. He was murdered for being genuine, kind, and outspoken. He was murdered for being different, for wanting ‘justice for all’.

Simply put, he was murdered because he stirred things up, and pissed off those who felt superior. I’m skeptical about how his assassination is documented, somehow I don’t fully believe James Earl Ray was the sniper. I honestly think he was just an easy scapegoat.

King was shot dead. Then made an icon for peace and civil rights. As time moved on, he became part of U.S history classes. He even got a holiday in his name. But that’s it. People forget they become complaisant. They prefer to follow the system, they don’t question it. They mold into it and follow along.

Nowadays it’s just a long weekend. People go out and hike. Stay in and grill. Others go to their rich golf clubs, where they may or may not golf.  Most, I’d say, have forgotten what today’s long holiday is about–Trump definitely did –.

Did King manage to accomplish what he stood for?

I don’t think he ever did, not really. Yes, the Civil Rights Act was established after his assassination in 1968 –I believe it was simply to quiet the turmoil in the pained masses–.

His peaceful rhetoric towards the injustice that minorities were withstanding at the time–the other, not white, not straight, not male, not catholic–, managed to quiet the racist outbursts and hate crimes. Racist-uncultured-puny-Trump-like-minds, white supremacists such as the KKK, all dissipated to the shadows.

All of a sudden it was the land of us all, again. Racism was no longer discussed, it became a taboo. It became a negative connotation nobody wanted to be associated with. All of a sudden, it became a norm for ‘people of color’ –everything became politically correct, for fear of being labeled racist –to be subject to ‘random checks’ at airports, their cars are the ones that ‘happened’ to get pulled over by police. And around the U.S people thought –pretended is more like it – that the issue was solved. That the U.S was in fact fair. They pretended that there was ‘justice for all’.

Fast forward 50+ years –tons and tons of disguised hate crimes in between – where a man-child has managed to get to the presidency by representing, uniting, and leading those that hid in the shadows.

It’s the start of the age of dismantling the mask, I’d like to think. Where the hypocrisy of racial issues can finally come to light. Where we can finally stop pretending racists are not at the top, in control of the country’s legal power.

An age where we truly live up to King’s legacy. Honestly and fully. An age where it TRULY doesn’t matter what the color of your skin is. What your gender or your sexual orientation is.  It doesn’t matter how you speak, or what you believe in. An age where there is no racism, because we are all humans. An age where there is no discrimination for being different, for being an immigrant, a minority. An age where the other is simply a choice in what you like, a matter of taste. Not a means of labeling/categorizing someone as inferior.

Well, that is my dream.

In the meantime, we need to continue to stand strong. To not allow Trump-like people to taint our good nature. In the meantime, we continue to remember what Martin Luther King stood for, what he died for. “He took a bullet for us all”, as the NBA star LeBron James said in his speech today.  I believe we should not take that for granted. And we should definitely not divert from his peaceful method. We should grow strong and stand peacefully together, against those that arise from the shadows, encouraged and fueled by Trump. And pray that we don’t end up into a purge-like-environment.

Together we–peacefully–stand. Rest in peace Mr. King, we’re getting better. We’re slowly accomplishing your dream.

Alcuni pensieri Rants, political or otherwise All lives matter Civil Rights Equality and Justice Hipocrisy History Huff Post Martin Luther King MLK New York Times Peaceful rhetoric Racism together we stand Voice for minorities