The hypocrisy of King Day observances | Opinion

As we approach Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I am bracing for the onslaught of events, statements and tweets that will be offered in his honor.

In a different world, the broad celebration of Dr. King would be a beautiful occasion. Unfortunately, too many individuals who shun the values Dr. King espoused use his name and his words without shame.

I often find myself filled with incredulity as leaders and politicians who uphold institutions of white supremacy post Dr. King’s image, copy and paste his more famous quotes and sit in the pulpits of Black churches and clap along to King Day choir songs. These commemorations are disrespectful and disingenuous when one considers that Black people are having to take to the streets to demand these same individuals protect the voting rights that our ancestors, including Dr. King, fought so hard to obtain.

MLK Day 2022: Five ways to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis

On her father’s birthday in 2021, Dr. Bernice King tweeted “Dear politicians/political influencers: When you tweet about my father’s birthday, remember that he was resolute about eradicating racism, poverty & militarism. Encourage and enact policies that reflect his teachings.” Dr. King’s birthday last year came nine days after the attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Members of Congress who were known supporters of the Trump Administration and later shown to have ties to the violent events that took place on January 6, 2021, shared remembrances of Dr. King on social media. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) tweeted “America is forever changed for the better because of Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful words, actions, & leadership.” Despite sharing this sentiment, Sen. Blackburn continues to oppose the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

U.S. Rep. Mark Finchem (R-AZ) was a named participant in the Jan 6. insurrection, but two months after the fact, he sent a newsletter quoting Dr. King’s famous quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He followed this quote with thinly veiled accusations of the 2020 election of President Biden being a fraud. Reading this hypocrisy one can see why Dr. Bernice King felt the need to make the entreaty that, as the kids say, certain people keep her daddy’s name out of their mouths.

The pretense of celebration on Dr. King’s birthday by those who would oppose him if he was still alive is even more shameful when you consider his own words. While a student at Morehouse College, Dr. King published an op-ed in the Maroon Tiger, the school’s newspaper, rebuking educated men who use their skills to obstruct the greater good. “The most dangerous man,” Dr. King wrote, “may be the gifted man with reason, but no morals.” He illustrates this by noting that the former Governor of Georgia, Eugene Talmadge, was not only intelligent but a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious academic society in the United States. “By all measuring rods, Mr. Talmadge could think critically and intensively; yet he contends that I am an inferior being. Are those the types of men we call educated?” We can apply Dr. King’s question to many elected officials today like Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis who holds degrees from both Yale and Harvard Law. DeSantis is extremely educated but denied the impact of COVID-19, presented legislation to ban books written by and about Black people, and signed into law a bill that made it ok to hit protestors with cars. What a harmful use of such a prominent education.

In 2018, the City of Memphis unveiled the "I Am Memphis" campaign in an attempt to honor the 50th anniversary of the sanitation workers’ strike and the assassination of Dr. King. Driving through the city, you can still see remnants of the marketing on faded billboards and dusty garbage trucks. As we approach the 54th anniversary of MLK’s assassination, Memphis boasts one of the highest rental rates but also one of the top five poverty rates in the country.

Local activists are demanding new voting machines to ensure greater integrity while the Election Commission blocks their requests. The murder rate in the city remains high, criminal activities of all types are rampant, and investment in youth and schools remains stagnant. If I am Memphis, who am I? For any elected official or government, it is not enough to co-opt the phrases of Dr. King and the bygone civil rights era. As Dr. Bernice King says, for our words to have meaning, we must make change with an eye for equality and do so with integrity.

This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I implore you to spend more time with the words, the actions, the demands that Dr. King made during his short time on Earth. The change we need will not be found picking up trash for 30 minutes. We need concrete leadership that will enact policy that erases oppression and eradicates the systems that uphold it. Taking action that helps this city, state, and country arrive at that goal, is the best way you can honor Dr. King on his birthday and every day that follows.

Tami Sawyer. a longtime civil rights activist, is also a Shelby County commissioner.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: MLK Day: The Hypocrisy of the holiday observances in Memphis