If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived to celebrate his 94th birthday, as the great leader of the civil rights movement that he was, he would surely be fighting and working side by side with Latinos to address the problems of economic, political, and social inequality. , educational backwardness, racism and for the rights of migrants.
It is the conclusion of ordinary citizens, Latino activists and professors, as well as African-American leaders around the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, born on January 15 in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929, and assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Dr. MLK’s movement focused on three important aspects of the economic, political, and social life of the United States,” said Professor Gaspar Rivera, director of projects at the UCLA Labor Center.
He affirms that, in the economic aspect, he exposed to all the enormous disparity between the white population and minorities; His justice movement was followed by a war on poverty and the start of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963.
“In those years, the issue was put forward, that the economic gap that referred to racial discrimination due to limited and well-paid jobs for minorities had to be closed, and, above all, segregation in housing,” added the professor. .
With Dr. King, the system of control and repression of the right to vote, very effective in the southern states of the United States, which politically suppressed Asians, African-Americans, and Latinos in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas, also came to light.
In the social aspect, at that time, no one questioned racism or discrimination against blacks, Mexicans and minorities, according to the expert.
“Hollywood itself had its racial stereotypes,” Rivera Salgado said.
In the professor’s opinion, said standards considered blacks as not very intelligent people, who could not be trusted, or Mexicans, as characters who did not like to do anything, sitting under a cactus and wearing a hat, the classic “Speedy ” González, a caricature of Latinidad.
“The prosperity of the United States, after World War II, began to create a strong middle class, but only whites advanced and left everyone behind, as is the case today,” said Rivera Salgado.
police violence
“Today’s reality is that the dream of [Martin Luther] King of non-discrimination, the end of racial inequalities and social justice is no closer than it was in his day,” said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, an African-American civil rights leader. “The continued police violence against Latinos, the disparities in work, housing and health, and the constant attacks on immigrants are proof enough that King’s dream is far from being fulfilled.”
According to Hutchinson, if Dr. King were among us, he would vehemently oppose all anti-immigrant laws, decisions and attacks, and would demand comprehensive and meaningful immigration law.
“And most importantly, I would be at the forefront of the call for immigrant rights and justice.”
Salvador Sanabria, executive director of the immigrant defense organization “El Rescate”, stressed that the message of Dr. Martin Luther King is universal. His fight was focused on realizing constitutional rights for African-Americans, with his message of freedom and inclusion, inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Ghandi.
“His profession was that of a preacher, not only for those who attended his service in the church, but his message was for all humanity. In this sense, the quota of justice for Latinos and minorities is far from being fulfilled as mandated by the Constitution of the United States”, stressed Sanabria. “For this reason, it is necessary to continue ringing the bell for the rights of equality and justice in this country.”
As the beginning of the celebrations for the birth of the civil rights fighter, the city of Long Beach held its 35th parade on Saturday, in honor of the leader, where hundreds of residents participated, mostly Latinos and African-Americans.