Andrea Batista Schlesinger

Marching On

When he was in jail in Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. talked to the white wardens about their quality of life. He wanted to know where they lived, how much they earned, what opportunities were available to them. He discovered that some were so poor they couldn’t send their children to school. He pointed out that the same forces that oppress blacks in American society oppress poor white people. “All you are living on,” he told them, “is the satisfaction of your skin being white. You ought to be marching with us.”

The satisfaction was a false sense of security. It did not change the economic reality that the wardens could barely eat and provide for their families. These men were the real prisoners, shackled by prejudice, while the marchers gained strength and found freedom through numbers.

Racial superiority meant belonging to an exclusive club, but these men couldn’t afford the membership dues. The desire “to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade” lured them to it.

In his sermon on the drum major instinct, King suggested that this desire can be harnessed to transform exclusionary thinking into broad coalitions where people of different backgrounds find common ground and strive to improve how their fellow Americans live. His life and legacy are poignant illustrations of what he envisioned. His selfless leadership on the frontlines inspired participation in grueling civil rights battles and mobilized support for unprecedented advancements in politics, policy, and the American dream.

King was a dreamer who pursued justice from the standpoint of reality, creating a better America within the constraints he encountered each day. In our modest way, and with the help of so many willing partners, this is the work we try to do in his honor at the Drum Major Institute, understanding that the working poor, the middle class, immigrants, and all who struggle can demand more for each other, and share in victory, by working together in a progressive movement.

Over the weekend, I joined others in reflecting on the new frontiers of the movement during a WNYC event called A Journey of Hope: From Protest to Presidency. You can listen to the full program here.

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Posted at 10:45 AM, Jan 19, 2009 in Civil Rights
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