Martin Luther King Jr.’s Fight Against Income Inequality
Although our family celebrates African and African American history and culture (also known as “history and culture”) 365 days a year, I believe that African American History Month should officially begin on January 15, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday.
It’s clear that Dr. King’s crusade for equality and justice for all human beings is not over. If anything, the 45th presidential administration represents a backlash against the gains obtained as a result of the civil rights and black power movements.
And as much as King championed civil and human rights for African Americans, he also fought to end poverty and income inequality for everyone. The video above includes excerpts from speeches that demonstrate his activism far beyond the dream of racial equality. With the GOP set to execute another reverse Robin Hood heist from the middle and working classes to fuel the filthy rich with tax cuts, King’s voice belongs front and center in contemporary conversations. We need to hear quite a bit from him in the weeks to come.
The Future Is Now: Impressions After My First Trip to China
I just returned from my first travels in Asia, a 10 – day business trip to the People’s Republic of China. While my two-city sojourn was far from an exhaustive exploration of the ancient nation, I obviously have some first impressions of those cities that paint my image of the country as a whole.
But more importantly, this trip profoundly altered, affirmed and added context to views I hold for my own country, the United States of America. These impressions were partially formed by my other travels outside the United States, in Europe, Canada and the Caribbean as well, but this journey confirmed some beliefs while completely obliterating others. And of course, since my tendency is to think too much and pontificate profusely, I thought I’d share these impressions with anyone who cares to take a moment and read them.
This is largely a message for my friends and fellow citizens of the United States of America, arrogantly known the world over as “Americans” even though the regions of North, South and Central America contain 35 nations and 10 non-sovereign territories, within all of which reside “Americans”. We Americans from the United States are taught from an early age that we are the center of the world, and that everything that happens on this planet revolves around US, and our political, cultural and financial interests.
Well, forget what you heard. China is the center of the planet. Continue reading