Martin Luther King Day is an important day of service in my area. My family started the celebration on Friday with a tribute at McCarter Theater with Damien Sneed. He took us on a journey through the soul of the struggle of the human experience. Using sound, we started with “God Bless the Child” by Billie Holiday, we moved to “Proud Mary” Chopping Cane in New Orleans with Tina Turner, and we ended with “We Shall Overcome” to the words of Dr. King.
MLK Day is essential to all of us as a reminder of the organic resonance of freedom. This is a universal day and celebrates all of us. Although MLK Day is geared towards civic duty and the need to serve our community, we can also hear his voice urging us to freedom. This call transcends race and takes us to the core of the human experience. Are we fighting for civil rights or human rights?
How can we work on civil rights when some of us are struggling for human rights? It is a human rights issue when we keep people uneducated and uninformed. It is a human rights issue when we incarcerate people for mental health issues. Is it a human rights issue when veterans go homeless and hungry while we, who benefit from their work, sit warm in our beds? It is a human rights issue when women continue to fight to feel safe in our own bodies and our communities.
In order to understand the importance of civil rights, we must understand the connection between human rights and civil rights. Everyone loves someone who is a little different, and that is ok. How much better would our world be if we intentionally created systems of respect and understanding where people can feel seen and heard? Where those who are different are valued along with everyone else. Would we have more as a society if we valued differences as much as we valued division? What would happen if we created a culture that emphasized the interconnectedness between us as human beings?
MLK Day: Are We Really Free?
There is much to think about on Martin Luther King Day as we rededicate ourselves to our country and community. We can listen with our inner ear to the quiet whispers of our souls. I hear Dr. King’s voice urging us all on to freedom. I hear the shouts of the French Revolution in my ears: “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite” Liberty, equality, brotherhood. I even hear Killmonger with his refrain, “Bury me in the sea with my ancestors…because they knew death was better than bondage.”
Some of us are still living in bondage. When we settle for jobs that do not inspire us, we are living in bondage. Sometimes, we may settle for relationships that do not nurture us, and we are living in bondage. When we are undereducated, and we underperform, we are living in a type of slavery from which we cannot easily escape. It is difficult to escape when we cannot see our own shackles.
We can only see our shackles when we look critically at issues rather than sitting in our comfort. Comfort may feel good, but it is the enemy of growth. I can choose to be comfortable, or I can choose to grow. When we choose to grow, we invest in ourselves today and for future generations. It is an empowering position to realize that we CAN choose.
We can change our locus of control and be self-determined. In a time when our world is divided in many ways, every piece of personal power adds to real and sustainable change. To really celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the legacy of Americans of African descent, we must live as if we are FREE. Namaste, y’all.
The Holistic Store
While we are thinking that through, boost your connection from the inside out with our wellness supplements and supplies, check out our store for products that help you feel your best, making it easier to open up and connect on a deeper level.
