Darcy Richie: MLK and the importance of activism

Did the immortalization of Martin Luther King Jr. make you complacent? Did solidifying the words, "I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," into our box of soundbites give you something to whip out of our quote dictionary every time people say, "we still have to fight?"

But why? They marched on Washington in 1963 for equality, were beaten in 1961 walking off buses throughout the freedom rides, and desegregated schools in 1957. They also held hands in 2003 when the Hispanic or Asian Penn admissions numbers erupted by .76 percent, and equality was finally achieved in 2004. Now, we finally get a day off to bask in the glory of our hard work!

You never marched, but you sit next to that Latino kid in your poli sci class and you don't cross the street when those black kids walk towards you. Maybe you know about Allies, and you even heard something about La Casa Latina. Maybe you have two white people on your buddy list, and on your day off, you read their away messages. Isn't this equality? Did we finally reach the point where we can leave well enough alone?

Martin Luther King painted for the world an image of peace and the possibility of equal rights for all. I'll admit, in middle school, it was far beyond my comprehension that Martin Luther King Day was not entirely about missing a day of school and praying that the movie theaters were still open so my friends and I could beg one of our parents to drive us to a movie in the middle of the day. Then in high school, MLK Day was jam-packed with clich‚s and frilly speeches, full of events that made little effort to impart theory, history or critical discussion.

But wasn't college supposed to be different? College was the world, far away but reachable, where we would protest modern injustice in the spirit of the past. Our nights would be filled with covert meetings in some dormitory basement, chanting about bringing down the oppressive administration, beers clanking, while our days would be filled with excitement and an atmosphere of enthusiasm. We would change the world, and college would be the facilitator. Is all that happening? Did those dreams ever come to fruition?

To those who preach to me, saying that one day can't change anything, I feel that they are not speaking for the elimination of the day, but representing the idea that we have forgotten the activism that MLK Day represents -- the same activism that we hoped to participate in when we came to college.

For one day, the MLK planning committee is able to organize numerous events inspiring activism, and hopefully, for 10 hours the sounds of the nonbelievers are drowned out. But tomorrow, does the constant hum of complacency return?

There are some who persistently question this activism. Last semester, students signed petitions to motivate the University to be held accountable for its stance on diversity and were met with questions of, "why?"

Emotions also erupted behind closed doors as students stood up to our community, with the support of very few, and announced that we are the ungrateful, whining minorities that have propositioned the University to address elements of a dream once protested for. To very little glory and angry sentiments of disrespect from the administration, the students requested that the University incorporate the change it claimed it wanted to see in its students. And yes, this is the responsibility of an institution that holds our vision for four years.

To this, the response continued to be, "why?" Because that is why we experience a point in our lives where we have little responsibility and innumerous outlets for our passion. Because small steps and personal victories can change the world. Because there are students who show us that we can represent MLK's activism every day. Wasn't that the excitement we thought we would find on this campus? And isn't that why we have a reminder once a year?

Building on past efforts and present support, initiatives such as a diversity requirement, developmental support of the cultural centers and administrative support to reevaluate recruitment efforts have achieved support from our administration. With the accomplishments of some, we are all reminded that complacency does not reap any benefits, and why MLK Day is not just a day off, but a day to redirect our efforts, reignite our activism and make change.

Darcy Richie is a senior urban studies major from Birmingham, Mich. Strange Fruit appears on Wednesdays.

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