Recently I saw a trailer for Selma and began to wonder what's the difference between then and now. Here's my take on it.
People loved Dr King because, although he was not perfect, he did not call for violence even when it was thrust upon him. He frowned upon the violence and looting and condemned those that did it.
He didn't call for dead cops or make any threats. He held actual peaceful protest where people were singing and praying as they walked.
He was actually a preacher and not just in title only, unlike the two Reverends that claim to follow his example.
That's the difference between now and what happened in Selma. We need to go back to those methods. Peaceful protest does not mean setting fires, beating people, or causing shut downs of businesses, which is a disturbance of the peace.
Dr. King was feared, not because of the damage he could cause but because of the love he projected. He was willing to die for his beliefs but he was not going to physically provoke it either.
A lot of change can come if we actually followed his teaching of love rather than hate, brotherhood rather than divided by racism. Again, Dr. King was by no means perfect but he did set the bar. It's not set high but it's still achieveable. We owe it to him to try.
#icantbreathe #drking #handsupdontshoot #protest
