“All we say to America is, ‘Be true to what you said on paper.’ If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right.”
—from “I've Been To The Mountain Top,” April 3, 1968, Dr Martin Luther King Jr
When I lived in Houston, one of my friends had a room mate who chose to do drag. Her drag name was Dee Nile. Dee Nile’s act was all about the things we know are true, yet prefer to do the opposite. Dee Nile was a political science major at Rice University during the day, but in the evenings decided he needed an outlet a means to speak truth to politics and Dwayne became Dee and Dee’s act albeit pure schtick always involved a message regarding freedom. Dee Nile would insist that had this NOT been a nation based on freedoms, she of course could not be standing on stage in her begged, borrowed and perhaps stolen glittery attire, complaining about everyone and everything. There was an irony to Dee Nile’s performance, simply put, Dee would pontificate about without freedom, we would not even have the right to deny. Dee would INSIST, that freedom offers the luxury to complain, to complain provides insight as to the good and the bad about life. Life is never ALL good or ALL bad, but without freedom, we would never know the difference.
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."
—from Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, Norway, 1964. Dr Martin Luther King Jr
Truth, and unconditional love seem to be a fading phase. A passing fancy, once embraced, once inspiring. We also seem to become a nation with disregard to history, at least the parts of history that disturb a new kind of greed, gluttony and ghoulish desire to discriminate and discharge the equality of human beings. I need to hold on to hope, so I must find some reason from the past, because if we don’t learn from our history it might repeat itself three times worse. I do hope and pray Dr Kings quote from his Nobel Peace Prize Speech STILL holds true…or else I will feel loss and the future will seem lost.
