The Truth About MLK Day
Today, we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and recognize the ways he challenged rampant racism and inequity in the United States of America. Although a Federal holiday now marks this celebration, during his lifetime, Dr. King was considered a radical and targeted by the same country that now recognizes him with a federal holiday.
Beginning in 1955 and well into the 1960’s, Dr. King was aggressively surveilled as part of the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO), which monitored individuals and organizations involved in racial politics, often aiming to discredit them. The FBI treated Dr. King like a criminal, tapping his phone lines, bugging his hotel rooms, and infiltrating his inner circle, all with the goal to diminish his influence and leadership. In 1970, a U.S. Senate Committee revealed that the impact of the FBI’s efforts to harm and discredit Dr. King was “unquestionable”. National celebration of his birthday did not begin until 1986, almost 20 years after he was murdered.
Activists and protestors, committed to eradicating inequity and inequality, continue to face mistreatment by the United States federal government. A 2021 report published by The Movement for Black Lives and co-authored by the CUNY School of Law’s CLEAR Clinic outlines how the US Justice Department targeted more than 300 BLM protesters by charging them with federal crimes in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.
The fight for Black liberation continues.
As we honor the legacy of Dr. King, let’s remember that although activists and protestors on the front lines of today’s marches may one day be celebrated nationally, they currently continue to face violence and mistreatment by the same country that celebrates Dr. King today. Here are three ways that you can show up to support them.
Support Bail Funds
A bail fund is an organization that collects money and then posts bail for those in jail on pretrial detention. In recent movements for Black lives, they have helped to free protestors who have been arrested, as well as journalists detained while reporting on protests.
Visit the following links to access directories of bail funds, organized by location and cause:
Donate to Organizations
Support the movement by donating to organizations mobilizing in support of Black liberation.
- Color of Change: Designs campaigns powerful enough to end practices that unfairly hold Black people back, and champions solutions that move us all forward.
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: Organization works to protect voting rights, reform the criminal justice system, achieve education equity, and ensure economic justice for all and the fund allows the NAACP to provide legal assistance to people who have faced racial discrimination.
- Southern Poverty Law Center: Has a rich, long history of standing up against right-wing extremism and white supremacy through legal and educational means.
Contact Public Officials
Email, tweet, and call your local elected officials to have your voice heard. Recruit friends to multiply your efforts.
- Sample Script: Hello, my name is ______ and I am a constituent from the ____ District. I am contacting you because I want to know what you will do to protect black lives. I am calling to urge you to condemn police brutality against protestors.
Let’s use our actions, voices and resources to thank Dr. King. I imagine it’s what he would have wanted.
