In West Hollywood in June we celebrate Gay Pride in honor of the milestones and freedoms the LGBT community has gained, and garnered. Aside from a handful of Born Again Evangelicals hired by the devil, the majority of participants are from the LGBT community. The parade and the festival happens in a VERY Gay neighborhood in LA.
When I lived in Pittsburgh and worked at the Jewish Community Center, located in a predominately Jewish neighborhood, Squirrel Hill, we used to celebrate with an Israel Day Parade. We marched across two very important intersections in Squirrel Hill, which for the Jewish community was the heart and soul of their environment. One could see hundreds of Jews in attendance.
In the days of maps, (no Map-quest, or GPS), whenever I was driving in a new city and got lost, never knowing where I was, I did know I was in a predominately black neighborhood if I happened to be on or near a street called Martin Luther King Blvd, Road, Avenue.
We used to pride ourselves, as Americans, as being a melting pot, a place that once welcomed strangers, a land where anyone could and should use their initiative, innovative energy, inventive spirit and become a part of something greater and something good. Emma Lazarus told us to "...give me your tired your poor...", JFK asked us "...what can you do for your country...", and Katharine Lee Bates wrote "...God shed his grace on thee... and crown they good with brotherhood..."
In 2010 and 2011, what was once hidden under a rock, sermonized by some churches as if God himself had cursed America, spilled and sorted out on the extreme right talk radio stations, silently acknowledged in alleyways or sanctuaries of bias and bigotry, has erupted and enveloped the atmosphere seeing the bright lights of daylight and delusion. It seems different is bad. It seems consensus is a Communist manifesto, it seems separate is good but separate but equal is bad and equal is worse.
For so many years we have reluctantly permitted the Blacks to celebrate MLK Day, the Gays to parade and pose in June, the Jews to act giddy for Israel as long as they kept those shenanigans in their own neighborhoods. It became tolerated by most but still admonished as bad by many. We had state laws, federal laws allowing minorities to find some kind of pride, with some kind of hero, with some kind of reason. We accepted it but embrace the diversity ourselves just seemed a little less all American then we were ready for. It was all done under the practicum of "Political Correctness"..., a pain in the ass concept for those who found hate a better way to practice their life.
America has had a history of violence, vitriol, victory and vigor. It has seen dark hours and somehow found the courage to pull though, lift up and move ahead. Sane heads, good hearts, and clear conscience out paced bias, bigotry, bullying and baseless BS. We have yet to find the finish line but have tried to race toward it. (Martin Luther King's words, deeds and legacy is a perfect example of moving forward.) But recently scary has taken grip of this nation. And scared people seem to be taking a death grip on this nation.
I worry that the small pace of fairness that we have gained, is being quickly eroded by a flood of fear. I wonder if any momentum made is being replaced with meaningless babble about boogie men seasoned with bogus reasoning. I am weary that falsehoods and fabrications based on lies are becoming the reality in this country.
It is MLK Day, and HE had a dream filled with words, sentences and meaning that embraces all of us. It would be an honor if ALL of us took HIS message applied it to ourselves and to those with whom we share our world. We can evolve when we involve ourselves in the lives of others.
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