hundreds of Amarilloans in the streets

A few minutes ago, the S.O. and I returned from the Amarillo chapter of the NAACP’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Celebration. It was very chilly and our faces and legs became quite numb during the march. Nevertheless the turnout was impressive: about as many people turned out as the Black Historical Culture Center could hold.

Although numerous members of the local Democratic/Progressive community marched and listened to the speakers, the other side of the aisle was disappointingly poorly represented. For example, Ms. Iris Lawrence announced State Senator Kel Seliger as an invitee, but no one from his office acknowledged the announcement, so they were apparently a no-show. Ms. Lawrence, in fact, read a long list of prominent local citizens and leaders who had been invited and only a small percentage stood to show that they were there. The contrast between the no-shows (local leaders, including the mayor) and the large and diverse numbers of ordinary citizens who did show was very clear. It demonstrated very clearly who is represented by city and area leaders, and who is not.

Exceptions were city commissioners Daniel Martinez and Debra McCart, who offered a proclamation from the city commission.

The celebration itself was very positive. The theme was “Remember! Celebrate! Act! A day on . . . not a day off,” and the speakers all made clear that action remains the key to progress on racial issues. This is also true of other issues for which the progressive community continues to fight.

Mrs. Jill Bempong spoke of “economic empowerment.” She suggested that caring people spend money with companies that empower employees to improve their lives, saying that we can honor Dr. King “daily with our choices.” This is, to us in the progressive community, a close relative of the Buy Blue campaign. This campaign should move beyond partisanship and money to look at all facets of how companies do business. The problem with Wal-Mart may begin with the truckloads of money they give the Emperor W and his minions— but the problems continue with employee abuse, corporate lies, and community destruction.

The Rev. Darrell Fincher of Jenkins Chapel Baptist Church also gave a rousing and inspirational speech. He reminded us to “remember, celebrate, act” every single day and said we “must tell our children to stand for freedom.”

Absolutely. Despite the foul juncture we find ourselves at today, it remains true that we had leaders like Dr. King not so long ago. And what these men did worked, and it changed the world. To me, the theme of today’s celebration can be paraphrased this way: learn from the good examples of the past, stay positive, and do something that might make a difference.

The election was two months ago. It’s time to get over our depression and self-pity and get back out in the streets. See y'all out there.

SPACEDARK