Yesterday we celebrated Martin Luther King Day. There were re-enactments of The I have The Dream speech and the usual marches honoring Dr. king but there was a little different type of marches too. Because of the Brown killing in Ferguson MO and the Garner choking death of Garner in Staten Island NY there were protest marches too. One of the major Marches was in St. Paul MN. The major portion of the march was along University Ave, that links Minneapolis and St. Paul MN. It crosses the Mississippi River. The march was was in two parts separated by The Green Line Lite Rail that is in the middle of University Avenue.
Dr. king's message was always about building bridges across racial lines He wanted the little children to walk holding hands White and black. The fact that the policemen both in Ferguson and Staten Island were White and their victims were Black was not the only problem. The most important problem is that both victims were unarmed.Using deadly force should always be the last resort!The Grand Juries in both cities got it wrong big time!
What needs to happen is that law enforcement and leaders in the Black Community have to get together and have seminars on how to eliminate the hostility that seems to have grown between the two groups. But there are some simple answers to solve this problem too. First of all schools and teachers must get back to the basics and teach ALL children to speak and write proper English. Schools have to also get into having Proper Etiquette classes too!Our current crass society is becoming a cesspool of foul language! People are forgetting how to talk with out cursing. Cursing is the language of the uneducated, the low class and the language of amping up the anger!
People have to remember that the police are human beings too. They have feelings and get tired of the insults they get from the criminal element. Black parents have to teach their children to have good manners. They have to stress the fact that authority figures have to be addressed with "Sir" and "Ms" and to have their children use their best language. Ebonics is not a form of proper English is a bastardization of English
The Police have to learn to walk the beat again and get toknow the people that they are supposed to be protecting. White policepersons have to eat their lunches in ethnic restaurants and try to learn as much as they can about other cultures. No more insulating themselves in a cocoon of ignorance!
Finally, our country can only fulfill Dr.King's dream if we are an inclusive country! That means we have to tear down the wall that says you can only date people in your own race . Bi-racial dating should be a norm not an exception! I'm bi-racial and am delighted that I have more ethnicities to delight in! I feel bad that Heidi Klum and Seal divorced. They made a beautiful couple!
Let's honor Martin Luther King Junior by living the bi-racial life and building bridges to understanding!