Happy Martin Luther King Day

I want to take time out of my day today to show my appreciation for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His birthday was on the 15th, but today we celebrate the legacy of a man that started a movement that was so powerful and undeniable that it still affects all of us today. Besides whatever fallacies or faults people try to bring up to refute his legacy, it wont work because I like millions of others (including our President Obama) are living proof of his dream.

If it had not been for Dr. King I would not be able to appreciate the simple things that people today take for granted like education, eating in my favorite restaurant or even traveling around America or even the world. I definitely would not be a pro athlete living in Switzerland. I have this distinct luxury of traveling the world. I have friends from all over this planet, from many different countries, ethnicities and backgrounds. I have learned and accepted that there is no right or wrong way to look and live. That its okay to have friends that don't look like me or talk like me. This is all something that some people still don't know how to deal with, and that is just sad.

If there is one thing that people need to recognize it is that Martin Luther King Day is not just for black people. He stood for something much more than that. Its for all of us. Its about equality for all. Yes, back then the Civil Rights Movement centered around black people but there were many people fighting that were not black at all. And if that were so, it would have been called the Black Civil Rights Movement. Now a days its about treating everyone like God intended. We are all children of God and have the right to shine in our own rights without foolish rules or tactics being placed on our heads. I think that's what Dr. King wanted and it is what we all need to live by.

It is 2011 and even though we have come so far, we have not reached that plateau yet. Racism , bigotry, sexism, and homophobia still exists. Below is a blog I wrote about 3 years ago after I was called a Nigger in Germany. I was so angry, but I am still alive. No fire hoses were turned on me, I didn't get food thrown at me, my house or church was not bombed. But it still hurt and to have the courage to not fight back must have been so hard. I am still amazed by all the trials and tribulations those before me had to struggle with. Sometimes I do wonder which side of the movement I would have been on. Would I have stood by and done nothing? Or would I have marched, participated in sit ins, and have my life threatened over and over, without retaliating; remembering the nonviolence philosophy Dr. King stood for. Regardless of where you would have stood, we can all be champions of the cause today. Keep his Dream alive.

I Got Called a Nigger Today & Honestly I was Proud.... written March 28, 2008

I got called a Nigger today, and honestly I was proud. Proud? You say? Sure. Proud that I did not retaliate with some ignorant, racist comment. Proud that I did not pick up the nearest 2 x 4 and beat them to a bloody pulp. Proud that out of all the people in the world, I am more intelligent than at least 2 individuals.

As these two young Caucasian boys approached me, I desperately needed to ask them if I was getting on the right train. Good thing I did not speak fast enough. As they got closer, they yelled something and started laughing. After their so called fun, one proceeded to throw the ’Hail Hitler’ sign at me. I did not think much of it at the time, but as I boarded the train, I knew I did not want to sit in the same car as them so I went to another. One got up and followed me... chanting, "Nigger, Nigger, Nigger." I was like, "... your not even saying it right." That does not change the fact that I was still pissed off to the highest pissitvity. I wanted to take out a gun and press it on his forehead, while he pleaded for his life, chanting, " Yeah, your right I'm a nigger, a nigger whose packin’ (...and I’m bout to blow yo mutha f*ckin brains out -Samuel L. Jackson). But then I just would be falling into the stereotype of what people think black people are: Stealing, gangsters, on welfare who are going nowhere or coming from jail. And if we got money we’re automatically drug dealers. I am most certainly not that. I have actually been called an oreo before, but that is a whole other discussion.

What did I expect? I’m in Germany. The place where there was once a genocide of an entire race almost because of their beliefs. But if i go there then I must mention how 40 years ago (if I were alive), I would not have be able to eat at the same restaurant as some of my closest friends. So point taken. Racism is everywhere. Which made me think of something the comedian Paul Mooney said, " White people have the complexion with the protection." Not to be racist, but you can be white anywhere in this world just about and it wouldn't matter. You would just blend in, until you spoke of course. (And probably not so in some countries in southeast Asia). You can go to any store and find the right beauty products that match your skin. Me? I have to first look for the bottle with the black woman on it before I can wash my hair. Does life suck for everyone.... yes. I'm not saying it doesn't. All I am getting at is that there are a few more hurdles in my life.

Have we overcome? Sure... I have gone to an integrated school for as long as I can remember. But I couldn't help but be reminded of how Jesse Owens came to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and dominated in front of a Nazi-ruled crowd so I can travel the world and play a game I love. I think about the sit ins in Greensburo, just so I can enjoy a meal with my family at Denny’s. I think about people like James Meredith, Dorothy Dandridge, Jackie Robinson or my own Mom & Dad- how many times they got called nigger. To me that is pretty good company.

I dont know how many people in the world got called nigger today. Maybe a lot, maybe a few. It was not the first time, and unfortunately it will not be the last. Lets stop the hate... Teach your kids how to fly a kite or kick rocks... Something! Ignorance is not attractive

I got called a Nigger today, and honestly I am Proud!

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. " -Martin Luther King Jr.