MLK Celebration and Reflection

Pictured: Dr. Samuel Sullivan (left) and Lamario J Williams (right) | Source: Carolyn Maddox via UABSOM

The end of this blog post features a speech that I gave on January 22nd, 2020 for the UABSOM Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. At the event, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Samuel Sullivan, an esteemed OB-GYN physician in Birmingham. He and one other Black male were the first to ever attend and graduate from UABSOM in 1970. You can find a video link of the event here.

As I mention in the speech below, MLK has stated “a riot is the language of the unheard.” I grew up very curious about violence because unfortunately many Black Americans encounter violence far too often. My young mind always wanted to learn more about what drove people to violence and what led people to choosing peace. I even remember my uncle telling me to not play with toy guns around my little cousins to prevent glorifying violence.

Most would say that the past 12 months in this country have been particularly violent. There are many complex reasons people commit acts of violence. Steven Pinker wrote The Better Angels of our Nature where he explored in depth what leads to violence and what prevents it. Pinker states “organisms are selected to deploy violence only in circumstances where the expected benefits outweigh the expected costs.” He identifies three principal causes of “quarrel” according to Thomas Hoobes: 1) competition due to their being finite resources, 2) fear due to perceived security threats, and 3) glory in order to ensure credibility. Pinker himself expands that to different “demons” that lead people to violence:

Predation - using violence in an instrumental sense as a means to exploit resources
Dominance - asserting credibility
Revenge - defense & ensuring cooperation
Sadism - enjoyment (can grow from instrumental violence)
Ideology - means to an end for the “greater good”

However, he also identifies “angels” that help prevent people from choosing violence:

Empathy - perceiving what others perceive; forgiveness
Self-control - ability to utilize foresight; decreased access to weapons can decrease violence; brain chemistry
Culture evolution - we are better together
Human moral sense - establishing in a society that violence is taboo; communal sharing
Reason - thinking through things; patience overpowers emotions

So while folks may resort to violence when they feel unheard, maybe the “unheard” is based on falsehoods or illogical premises. However, defining the truth is actually pretty difficult to do. And oftentimes in discourse, the “truth” can just come down to one person's word over another's. So the important part becomes who do you trust?

I know this is cliche, but I think it’s important to take a look at the definition of violence: “intense, turbulent, or furious and often destructive action or force.” I want you to focus on the phrase “destructive actions,” in order to broaden your thinking of violence in America. America started with violence committed against Indiginous Peoples. The violence continued with slavery (since 1619), Jim Crow laws (since the 1870s), the War on Drugs (since the 1970s), and economic oppression. Denying access to affordable healthcare is violent, because in fact it is a destructive act that leads to the loss of life. Even the actions of underfunding predominantly Black education systems as violent because it prevents those young minds from obtaining resources in a reasonable way for survival.

These policy failures have led to so much violence against my loved ones, making my own life more difficult. And all of these violent acts have been cultivated because of falsehoods. The false notion that more melanin equates to being less than human (or that melanin content defines superiority). Or the false notion that melanin differences define who can interact with one another. Or even the false notion that in order to foster prosperity, more tax dollars should go towards militarization than education and healthcare. To be honest, these policy failures have led to me losing my trust in all things political.

So when you feel like you aren’t being heard, I pose these questions: What ideology is being unheard? Are you trusting an ideology initiated by an ethical person? Is your goal in life taking advantage of people for your own personal gain? If so, where is your humanity? What are you really fighting for? Are you fighting for economic freedom? Why is the “economic freedom” rhetoric presented by politicians always so heavily intertwined with law and order? From my perspective, law and order is a rhetoric to put Black people in their place so CEOs have the freedom to exploit them. So talk to me nice about an equitable education system that enables economic prosperity for minorities and those living in poverty, or don't talk to me at all. In order to stay focused on what MLK advocated for, please take note of what was most important to Dr. King:

“We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The speech I gave on January 22nd, 2020 in its entirety is below:

Pictured: Lamario J Williams | Source: Carolyn Maddox via UABSOM

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said in April 1967 during his The Other America speech the following:

“Let me say as I've always said, and I will always continue to say, that riots are socially destructive and self-defeating. I'm still convinced that nonviolence is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom and justice. I feel that violence will only create more social problems than they will solve. That in a real sense it is impracticable for the Negro to even think of mounting a violent revolution in the United States. So I will continue to condemn riots, and continue to say to my brothers and sisters that this is not the way. And continue to affirm that there is another way.
But at the same time, it is as necessary for me to be as vigorous in condemning the conditions which cause persons to feel that they must engage in riotous activities as it is for me to condemn riots. I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality, and humanity. And so in a real sense our nation's summers of riots are caused by our nation's winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Here, Dr. King explains the importance of listening, the importance of recognizing a person or a group of people that have been wronged, and the importance of taking action to bring justice to such situations.

If a group of people feel unheard it will lead to radical actions like rioting in the streets, voting for the boisterous candidate, committing acts of violence against an oppressor, or using psychoactive substances to cope.

Malcom X, long-considered as the antithesis of everything Dr. King preached, once took part in Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. In The Autobiography of Malcom X, in referencing his journeys through Africa and the Middle East in 1964, it is written:

“I was no less angry than I had been, but at the same time the true brotherhood I had seen had influenced me to recognize that anger can blind human vision… America is the first country … that can actually have a bloodless revolution.” - Malcom X

Pictured: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (left) & Malcom X (right)

The religion that the brother Malcom X practiced (Islam) promotes peace, and anger is not peace. One definition of peace is to be complete, or whole. Dr. King (a Christian minister) promoted love, an extremist form of love. It is not the responsibility of institutions to CREATE love and peace for the citizens of the United States. But I believe it is reasonable to expect that institutions provide the opportunity for loving and peaceful environments in an unbiased manner.

Far too often, black life is considered as disposable. I have seen and felt this phenomena firsthand in my own family through:

Policies and laws that encourage mass incarceration
Educational institutions that inadequately prepare young black boys and girls to contribute to and grow local economies
And healthcare institutions that are lacking in availability and understanding for the unique needs of black communities

Today, we have plenty of work to do to make our black communities mentally, physically, and spiritually whole. However, in doing so, this would provide betterment for the entire American ecosystem.

Dr. King stated in his highly-acclaimed Letter from a Birmingham Jail: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Getting to know the diverse experiences of those around us drives us to want to support everyone’s struggle whether it is donating time, money, effort, or emotional support.

I will end with another quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” It is my challenge to everyone here today to be a good friend to your neighbor, regardless of what they look like.

Source: Stephen F. Somerstein via Getty Images