Check out these articles about the powerful #ReclaimMLK direct action and local organizing across the country this past weekend:
Protestors Rally Nationwide to Reclaim MLK’s Legacy
by Jamilah King, ColorLines
Tuesday, January 20 2015, 10:18 AM EST
In cities across the nation, protestors took the streets with a call to reclaim Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy this holiday weekend. The actions were part of a coordinated effort, dubbed #ReclaimMLK on social media, that sought to build off of them momentum of last year’s rallies against police brutality.
To see pictures and tweets from actions in St. Louis, the Bay Area (CA), Cleveland, Seattle, New York, Washington DC, and Milwaukee, read this ColorLines article in full.
Celebrating MLK Day: Reclaiming Our Movement Legacy
by Opal Tometi, Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter, and co-authored by Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors-Brignac.
January 18, 2015
Today, people across the country pause and remember the legacy of civil rights leader, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For many, the birthday of Dr. King is a time to reflect on peace and non-violence, to remember the dream, to perform service in your community, and for others, it is a much needed three-day weekend, a respite after returning to work from a busy holiday season.
Yet this year, King’s legacy is being thought of in the context of the #BlackLivesMatter movement which has spread like wildfire throughout the United States and around the world. Ignited by the killings of Islan Nettles, Mike Brown, Rekia Boyd, Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Renisha McBride, Aiyana Jones, Jordan Davis and too many more by police and vigilantes, Dr. King’s legacy and his work take on a different meaning in today’s world.
What we know about the legacy of Dr. King has been largely sanitized, re-configured, and appropriated to obscure his radical vision. Dr. King nurtured visions of a movement that could restore a deep and abiding love for all of humanity; a world where the restoration of democracy and full citizenship, of an economic system that could provide for everyone, and an end to war and militarization. Dr. King’s dream tackled poverty and systemic inequality. Ultimately his vision was a society with human rights for all.
To read this post in its entirety, visit Huffington Post online.