The Naked Truth/Jamala Rogers
Making Real the Promises of Democracy
"There is nothing more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
These are the profound words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is the month we’ll hear the I Have a Dream speech on virtual loops. There are so many nuggets of wisdom that Dr. King has left for us, most of them never see the light of day. The above quote is one that comes to mind as Omicron makes its presence known to us in a big, deadly way.
Recently the U.S. has reported a record single-day number of daily COVID-19 cases. There have been more than one million new infections with the highest seven-day average of daily new cases in any country. We are shattering records and I say it’s from sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
Starting with a former president and fast forward, we’ve seen a legion of governors, mayors and other so-called officials oppose protocols that would be saving lives. This pandemic has become a power play for Republicans and American citizens are the collateral damage.
It has been duly noted that the 95 percent of the new COVID-19 cases in the nation are those areas of unvaccinated people. Except for Louisiana, the ten states with the lowest vaccination rates are headed by Republican governors.
Dr. King would have been disappointed — but not surprised — that the southern states where he invested so much time and sweat equity are amongst those ten states. Tennessee, the state in which the Drum Major for Peace was assassinated, rates #40 in healthcare and #33 in education out of the fifty states. One of every six residents lives in poverty. Where is the progress?
These three quality of life indicators are what Dr. King fought so desperately for. He understood that children, particularly African American children, would not fare well as adults if they weren’t healthy and educated. Their ability to fully participate in this democracy would be greatly compromised. He understood that education is an equalizer and that poverty is a barrier.
I think Dr. King would be frustrated and saddened by where we are in this country today. It is just as racially polarized as it was during the Civil Rights Movement. I could hear his emotional plea to provide people with the necessary information to make rational decisions about COVID-19 vaccinations, to transcend race and class in the name of saving lives.
The pandemic is tearing apart a nation with a fragile democracy. If people want to seriously honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, they should recommit to the struggle against racism, poverty and militarism. Dr. King would tell us that America needs to be fiercely reminded, “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.”