As cities build monuments, name streets and hold events in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Othello Meadows III asks himself one question.
“What would Dr. King say were he alive to see us as we sing his praises and say that we love his message?” Meadows asked Monday at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day event at UNMC. “I think he would say that he doesn’t believe us.”
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Othello Meadows speaks to the crowd at Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at UNMC. |
Hard work neglected
We have not done the hard work needed to make Dr. King’s vision a reality, said Meadows, executive director of Seventy-Five North — a revitalization initiative in north Omaha.
“It’s more than 40 years after Dr. King’s death and 60 percent of African American children in Omaha still wake up in poverty,” Meadows said. “This is as far as we’ve come?”
A lack of willingness
Resources and intellect to do the work are plentiful, Meadows said, save for one.
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Hip-hop violinist Daniel Davis performs at Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration. |
A safe memory
People love to remember the inspirational speaker who uplifted millions with his speech, Meadows said, but they forget Dr. King was a true radical who took unpopular stances that even disoriented many of his followers.
These were hard choices, Meadows said, made by a man whose image society has softened over time.
“We’ve made him safe,” Meadows said. “We’ve made his message comfortable so we can sleep better at night.”