Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday

A Holiday In Celebration Of Freedom

"Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday" is a special day, not only for African-Americans, but for everyone who can relate to another positive story of a civil rights pioneer who worked tirelessly to create conditions for positive change. We're all the beneficiaries of his courage and hard work -- just as we are the beneficiaries of the work of former slaves whose children and grandchildren will pass this day on to their children and grandchildren.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s name is a reminder of the reasons that this holiday was created and kept alive. Now that the celebration of his birthday has been made an official holiday and it has grown with more participation from freedom-loving people around the world, the celebration has become a time for reassuring each other, for praying, gathering and remembering.

A Quick Look Back

The Civil Rights movement of the '50s and '60s yielded both positive and negative results. While it pulled many of the African-American youth away and into the struggle for racial equality, others linked these efforts to the historical struggles of their ancestors. This was evidenced by student demonstrators involved in the Atlanta civil rights campaign in the early 1960s, who wore freedom buttons. Dr. Martin Luther King was at the forefront of these struggles.

In 1968, Dr. King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy organized the Poor People's March to Washington D.C. King and Abernathy put out a call for people of all races, creeds, economic levels and professions to come to Washington to show support for the poor. Many of these attendees returned home to initiate and organize similar events in areas previously absent of such activity. Today you'll find Dr. King's Birthday celebrated and remembered not only here in America, but also around the world.

Throughout the '80s and '90s, King's birthday continued to enjoy a growing and healthy interest from communities and organizations throughout the country. Institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Henry Ford Museum and others began sponsoring King-centered activities.

As we celebrate today in 2008, we look back and remember Dr. King and celebrate African-American freedom while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national and even global perspective, we work to ensure that the remarkable dedication and life of Dr. King are not forgotten.

You can see King's legacy in every city or town that names or re-names one of its streets or highways in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. You even see it where highways bypassed minority communities; or walled them off from the mainstream of commerce. Unfortunately, today you can also travel to almost any city and see some of those great superhighways transporting jobs and economic opportunity away from the inner city to the suburbs.

Those of us in Urban radio must make sure that, like the information highways with their on-ramps and off-ramps into every neighborhood, that Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday is not forgotten. Just like those conventional highways, the significance of this day can be another bridge that brings us together.

Years later, here are some thoughts on what both Urban and general-market radio stations can do to make their listeners more aware of the history of Dr. King's birthday and the reasons for the recognition movement.

Well-worded liners, news and public service announcements could all contain quick references to the holiday. Weekend public affairs shows should be geared toward recognizing the celebration of Dr. King's birthday, and these shows should be promoted throughout the week preceding his birthday.

Today, in 2008, we still have those stunning visions of racial equality manifested in a simple, yet stirring mantra: "I have a dream." Though Dr. King's cherished utopia has not arrived, it seems considerably even closer and less remote than it did 45 years ago in 1963, when from the Washington Mall, King challenged America to make his dream come true.

African-Americans are no longer relegated, as he lamented, to "a lonely island of poverty" in the midst of plenty. By a wide array of measures, now is a great time - the best time for celebration. This "sunniness" is reflected in the country's popular imagination, which freely celebrates the appeal and accomplishments of African-Americans. There have always been black successes and superstar achievers, but never before has black been quite so beautiful to so many. When did you ever think you would see black men as heroes of white children? Or that white-dominated states such as Iowa or New Hampshire would choose to vote for a black for president?

As we look forward and reflect on the dreams and visions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday we celebrate this week, it's also a time to look back and remember. It's a time to reflect on the event that would plunge the nation and the world into shock and mourning. Like some of the others, Dr. King's life and career were remarkably short. He was only 34 when he delivered his landmark "I Have A Dream" speech in Washington, D.C. in 1963. He was just 35 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize. And he was just 39 when he was shot down at a motel in Memphis in 1968.

Dr. King had a dream about African-Americans walking down main streets, sitting in the front of the buses, eating at lunch counters and no longer being afraid, no longer being forced to enter through and eat at rear entrances. In fact, Dr. King's back door was often the influence entry of one of America's most powerful leaders.

He was born and raised in Atlanta, and he preached a philosophy of equality and tolerance that has impacted the entire world and recently earned him a rare honor as a Catholic martyr, even though he was Baptist. His legacy lives on today -- not just in history books, but also through the everyday words and deeds of countless people who still believe in and cherish his dream.

Dr. King's dream and struggles for freedom were not just black or brown struggles; they were human ones. He opened minds, hearts and doors in ways no one had ever done. He made us understand we are tied together in a human destiny of life and bound by faith. That's why we celebrate his life and continue to deeply mourn his passing.

2008 Is The Year Of Change

The year 2008 will continue to be marked by some of the most revolutionary events in history: a costly war being fought in Iraq, tremendous economic and technological advances, globalization, the emergence of a new movement that has the power to change the face of today's society ... and a national election in which both a woman and an African-American are running for president. We find ourselves filled with questions. What kind of industry and country do we want to have? Can we remain competitive in this decade and beyond? Can we move forward and still hold on to tradition? Will we continue working toward including rather than excluding those who are "other" from our communities, our schools, our radio stations, our record labels and our businesses?

If African-Americans continue to get much of their information about their communities from black radio, how can we have a strong democracy when many stations are concentrated in the hands of only a few ... a few who do not necessarily reflect a growing part of our nation. If we develop into a nation of technological haves and have-nots, divided by income, race and ethnicity, we may take a giant step backwards

Someone said of Dr. Martin Luther King's murder back in 1968, they have shot the dreamer and now we will see what happens to the dream. Today, in 2008, Dr. King's "dream" lives on. Dreamers and the power of dreams are important, no matter who's dreaming them.

We have the power to deliver on Dr. King's dream. To do that we have to first recognize that we have the power to create this world. We can do this if we can accept the views of others, even if they differ from our own. We can make this world, our world, a better place.

In 2008, we find there is still only one answer, just one way to deliver on Dr. King's dream. We must say "yes" to each other. Yes to diversity and empowerment. Yes to affirmative action as one of our anti-discrimination tools. Yes to working together. Yes to creating sustainable economic partnerships where our inner cities and big business both come out winners. Yes to King's dream and the ideals by which he lived.

A range of activities should be planned to celebrate, inform and entertain our audience. As traditional King's birthday celebrations and recognitions continue in 2008, there may soon be more than just the typical activities with which most will choose to celebrate this year. Urban radio should realize the importance of these times and Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday, and continue to develop new ways to focus on education and self-improvement as a major part of these celebrations.

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