Lesson of MLK Day

[mslux]

The MLK Jr. Day march and rally were terrific. Spectacular speeches by SF Mayor Gavin Newsome, California Attorney General Cruz Bustamonte, Representative Barbara Lee, and many others. No one pulled punches. They were all very clear about the battle with the current administration. Barbara Lee summarized it to three fronts: Poverty, education, and racism.

I have to admit that I cried a number of times during the rally. 40 years since the voting rights act and Jim Crow is alive and well. The young people in attendance continue to face unbelievable hardships. It truly breaks my heart.

The lesson of the day? More of a reinforcement of what I already believe. We are soldiers in the fight for Democracy. Leaving the country may relieve individuals of the stress of the battle, but it is desertion. Remember the draft? Affluent white folks avoided military service through educational exemptions or leaving the country. It was the poor and people of color who were left to fight the war.

I'm not taking the exemption. This is a war everybody can fight regardless of age, income, gender, color. We must stand together.