Some white folk like MLK for how he makes them feel: hopeful and absolved. Most Black folk like MLK for what he did for us: Voting Rights Act, shone light on injustices done to Black people.
If MLK joined Mastodon, some folks would tell him to CW his own mistreatment, then kick him off of his server, then subject him to targeted threats of violence, then when he left Mastodon to avoid abuse, would say it's because he craves followers and clout. 🤷🏿‍♂️
It's 2023 and Black people in the USA still don't have equal voting access. Like I said, the civil rights era didn't end. You are still in it.
People just pretended that the civil rights era ended once they had assassinated enough of the major civil rights leaders. But the objectives of the civil rights era have not yet been achieved.
Now we have to listen to racists that misquote MLK, and then disrespect modern day civil rights leaders like Kaepernick and Stacey Abrams the very next breathe.
Most US folk don't know about COINTELPRO, the FBI program that targeted Black civil rights leaders for false arrest, and yes, assassination. US folks don't know this, because it's not taught in schools. But Black kids know about COINTELPRO.
Most US folk don't know what a "Black Identity Extremist" is. Again, not taught in schools. If you joined a George Floyd BLM protest, there's a good chance you were investigated as a Black Identity Extremist. Again by the FBI. Black kids know this.
@DrCAleaseSmith the irony is almost too much to handle. When you become the villains *from your own mythology*… even using the same language… well, I guess the value system boils down to, "do literally anything to defend white supremacy."
COINTELPRO was what put the lie to American democracy, for me—bonus points for leaving it out of school curricula! Nothing says fascism like sweeping dirt under the rug.
@alycemiller I was honored in the 9th grade to watch and hear him speak in my school. I was also witness to my two best friends receiving the 1st MLK Scholarship ever presented.
He was one of my inspirations for what I do today. I just hate the repetition year after year. I wrote an essay called, “The Content of Their Character”: A Supposition as to Mockery and White Supremacy.
Here's the speech.
mekka okereke 
Dr. Cynthia Alease Smithđź’ˇ
Alyce Miller
ahills