50th Anniversary of the March on Washington - Why aren't we still marching?

Today, August 28th marks the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. The march remains a milestone of American history, for all Americans but for African-Americans in particular. In 1963 I was the first born of Eddie and Emma Jean Frazier, just one year old and completely unaware of what was happening in the world.  My parents watched the march on television, and listened to Dr. King’s heart-stirring speech that made my mother cry. Later, speaking to me about the significance of the march, my mother said, “it was a year of promise and excitement for our people.”

My mother didn’t March in Washington but she wanted to be there. We were living in Memphis, Tennessee at the time, but she watched it take place on television and was amazed and proud of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. accomplished - bringing African-Americans and people of every color and race and religious background together to fight for freedom and equal rights in Washington, DC.

I can only image how both of my parents felt - the pride and sense of empowerment that they and many other African-Americans felt. Watching Dr. Martin Luther King speak on the mall to address not just the thousands gathered, but all of the American people, had to be a life changing and mind-blowing experience. His “I have a dream” speech will live on in minds of every one that was there that day, and the minds of those who watched it on television and who have read about it in classrooms across America.

A Dream of the Future

To African-Americans, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s presence in Washington and his “I Have A Dream” speech were the closest thing to an inaugural address of an African-American President and were the foretelling of what was to come in witnessing the inauguration of the First African-American President, Barack Hussein Obama II (notwithstanding Bill Clinton, who is affectionately said to be the first African-American President).

Martin Luther King wasn’t in the White House but he was close enough to it to give African-Americans a glimpse of what could happen - and it did happen this year. We have a two term African-American President. Who could have written and sold this idea as a screenplay, let alone expect it to become real? One term could be considered luck - two terms is a mandate, and both a call for and an example of real change.

The Dream Deferred

This may be the reason many believe, especially among us, that we as a people have arrived and no longer need to march. No one is saying it publicly, but it is self-evident in the lack of political engagement of African-Americans, the poor voter turnout of all races, and the overall disinterest in politics because “nothing ever changes” on a real and substantive level for the lower and middle class.

So my question is, why aren’t we still marching? Is it because we have overcome as the song says? Is it because African-Americans seem to dominate all sports except hockey? Is it because African Americans are celebrities, star in movies and on television, produce culturally significant films, are CEOS of Fortune 500 companies, [1], talented musicians and inventors of technology and machinery that have changed the world?

When I think about how far we have come as a people and the strides we have made in business, education, and in just about every area of life, it helps me understand why we are not marching. Racism isn’t overt any more. White men are not wearing hoods and burning crosses. When was the last time there was lynching or a cross burning? Sure, racism still exists and the Klan still has chapters, but they have been marginalized and are not perceived by most as a real threat to our progress as a people.

Racism – From the Noose to the Checkbook

Today the racism has moved to the internet, and into corporate America. Just look at the racial makeup of most of the boardrooms and executive levels in all industries with the exception of a few corporations. Only thirteen African-American businesspeople have made it to CEO status in a fortune 500 company, only six of whom are currently active out of the 500 CEOs on that list. [1] Anyone who can say that discrimination doesn’t exist at a significant level immediately forfeits all credibility.

And yet these are symptoms, not the cause. The real threat for African-Americans is not just racism or any ethnic group that seeks to harm us because of the color of our skin. The real threat today exists in our own community. Fathers who are still abandoning their children, single motherhood robbing young girls of their future and keeping them in poverty [2, 3], the high school dropout rate still alarmingly high [4], drug and gang violence in our schools and neighborhoods, the poor public school system which is failing our youth, the lack of role models and mentors for our young people, and the incarceration of African-American men for drugs and non-violent crimes and poverty. [5]

These situations threaten the African-American community. In spite of the fact that as a people we could be the 16th largest nation in the world with purchasing power that will exceed 1.2 Trillion dollars in 2015 [6], these situations remain true and dangerous threats to our people.

A Lack of a Rallying Point, or Institutional Apathy?

So who do we march against? Do we march against ourselves? What major march has taken place anywhere in the US that would come close to the March of Washington? The only one I can think of is The One Million Man March that took place in Washington DC on Oct. 16, 1995 to promote American Unity and Family Values. Lead by the iconic Louis Farrakhan, 400,000 to 1.1 million (mostly) African-Americans attended the event.

Today though, our marching is symbolic unless something major happens. There are some organizations that are marching virtually. Give me a break - are we serious? Marching virtually is ridiculous. Civil rights leaders that have come before us and have shed their blood for the freedom we enjoy today are rolling over in their graves in disappointment of the virtual marching going on in the African-American community on Facebook and Twitter. We are lazy and busy with self and not community. That is why we do not march.

It seems we only get out of the house or office or leave our computer screens and march in the streets when someone has been killed by the Police or unjustly accused of a crime by the Police. Their names will go down in history: OJ Simpson (by the way, he is guilty), Tawana Bradley, Rodney King, and Trayvon Martin just to name a few of the most recent killings. Oh, and let’s not exclude our riots, and the burning down our own neighborhoods. We only want to march today when someone has died at the hands of the police, or to honor the old guard who want to keep the memory alive of those who had courage to march when their lives were at risk.

So why are we not marching? We have had many opportunities. Is it because our civil rights leaders today are now too old and tired? Who are the new civil rights leaders? Is it Travis Smiley and Cornell West, Eric Michael Dyson, Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey or Oprah Winfrey? How about Mya Angelou?

Who can lead us in the next march? Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton? Or will it be one of the many unknown African-American mayors, governors and politicians to the National Black Audience? Will it be on gravel and concrete in the South, East or in the West? Or will we be marching on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in an attempt to start our own African-American version of the Arab Spring?

The is-ought problem, or, The Situation Demands Action

Martin Luther King III, Dr. King’s eldest son, said, "This is not the time for nostalgic commemoration nor is this the time for self-congratulatory celebration. The task is not done. The journey is not complete. We can and we must do more." I believe we can do more and do it now.  We have the economic power, political influence and money. African-Americans can accomplish anything when they put their minds to it, so we must ask the question. What happened to the masses in spite of the success of a few? Two important areas of measurement are Unemployment and Wealth:

Today, unemployment for whites is close to 6.6% and nearly 15% for African-Americans. [7] The wealth gap between whites and blacks was measured in 1987 at $87k, but in 2009 was approaching $236k. [8]

On the economic front African-Americans have made relatively no gains over the past 50 years. In civil rights we are moving in the wrong direction. The recent Supreme Court decision to effectively dismantle one of the key enforcement provisions of the Voting Rights Act, a groundbreaking law that ensured equal access to the polls in mostly southern states happened under an African-American President. [9] We allow this to happen during a time where there are more African-Americans in politics as mayor, governors, congressmen and women, senators and now the President of the United States. What happened?

A Florida jury chose last month to acquit George Zimmerman over the killing of the black teenager Trayvon Martin, citing stand your ground laws. How did we allow stand your ground laws to pass in the first place? When violence against African-Americans with deadly weapons has always been a problem, this law is license to use deadly and excessive force if you are getting your butt kicked in a fight. The stand your ground laws is not making society safer, but more dangerous.

We cannot count on equal treatment from law enforcement, either. Consider the way that police routinely use licensing laws to violate the civil rights of African-American business owners. They can’t perform a search without a warrant, so they “accompany” licensing inspection officials on their rounds, and conveniently seem to consistently target African-American owned businesses. [10]

The original march in 1963 was the seminal moment for modern America. Twenty-one charter trains pulled into Union Station, bringing marchers from across the country, particularly the south. At the peak, 100 buses an hour rolled through the Baltimore tunnel from the north. Police estimated the crowd at the Mall to be around 250,000, but some argue the crowd was far larger, possibly numbering as many as half a million. This was a march and movement that changed the lives for Africans in the United States. It was and is a testament to the courage of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The march, and King's speech, gave the campaign for equal rights an unstoppable momentum, convincing lawmakers of the need to pass the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act – two legislative pillars to emerge from the civil rights era.

Why should we march today? Because we need job creation, better healthcare, stronger voters’ rights, better education, and better laws to protect society. Nothing has really changed in terms of what we need in order to heal our society of the sickness of racism. We need to restore America to the land of opportunity for the poor and middle class and not just for the rich. Our needs have not changed much since 1963 we are asking today for the very same things.

Not all Doom and Gloom

However, since the anniversary of the march is a time for celebration, let me end with some good news.  The percentage of African-Americans attending college or earning a degree has increased to 44% for men and 53% for women. The number of African-American households earning $75,000 or higher grew by almost 64%, a rate close to 12% greater than the change in the overall population’s earning between 2000 and 2009. Education and household earnings will continue to help our community rise up from poverty and open opportunities to better jobs and living conditions.

We shall overcome one day. Our power is now because we have always had the power to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. Remember we are at our best and we maximize our success when we act now. The Power Is Now.

References

[1] African-American CEOs - http://www.blackentrepreneurprofile.com/fortune-500-ceos/

[2] Single Motherhood Study Among African-Americans - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00769.x/abstract

[3] High African-American Single Motherhood Rate - http://www.nbcnews.com/id/39993685/ns/health-womens_health/t/blacks-struggle-percent-unwed-mothers-rate/#.Uh2-cj-fLEM

[4] The Urgency of now/Black Graduation Rates - http://blackboysreport.org/national-summary/black-male-graduation-rates

[5] Incarceration of African American Males - http://www.naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet

[6] Power of the African-American Consumer - http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2011/report-the-power-of-the-african-american-consumer.html

[7] Unemployment among African-Americans - http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/06/news/economy/black-unemployment-rate/index.htm

[8] Wealth Gap - http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/07/26/wealth-gaps-rise-to-record-highs-between-whites-blacks-hispanics/

[9] Voting Rights Act Decision - http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/25/us/annotated-supreme-court-decision-on-voting-rights-act.html?_r=0

[10] Targeting Black Businesses with Licensing Laws - http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/20/local/me-barbers20

[11] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/24/march-on-washington-martin-luther-king