I stand for peace

If I had to choose sides between Malcom X and MLK i’d choose MLK. That doesn’t mean one side is wrong and one side Is right. It means that is the side that appeals more to me. And it does not mean that I can’t see where Malcolm X is coming from. Malcom thought that by promoting non violence, MLK was promoting defenselessness. Malcom was fiery and passionate about blacks standing up for themselves, promoting violence against violence and telling blacks to protect themselves by any means necessary. It was time to take a stand! He was quoted as saying “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery”. That was his quote.  MLK was full of a desire for everyone to get along. His dream was peace and his idea of strength was to rise above the violence. “The strong man is the man who will not hit back, who can stand up for his rights and yet not hit back,” King told thousands of Montgomery Improvement Association supporters at the city’s Holt Street Baptist Church on Nov. 14, 1956. This was after having his house bombed and even being jailed because of a longtime peaceful protest of boycotting the bus system. However their efforts succeeded and the supreme court found that segregation on the bus was unconstitutional. It was a win for blacks that day without them having to hurt anyone.

It almost seems like we are right back there today. Choosing a side. Is there a right or wrong way to protest? All of these violent riots going on right now in lieu of three very tragic and horrifying deaths. Breona Taylor who’s home was broken into unannounced by police and murdered because of a mistake of the location for a drug bust. Ahmad Arbery who was chased down and shot while going for a run because his killers assumed he had robbed a store. And George Ffloyd who was arrested for possible forgery of a check, but was suffocated to death by a police officer kneeling hard on his neck while his hands were cuffed behind his back and he was pleading for his life. These riots to protest what happened to these poor souls and to support the black lives matter cause started out as peaceful, but have become very violent. It has me thinking about these two historical men again and what they both stood for.

Unfortunately, the two points of view have caused yet another divide between us and I’m seeing even more hurt and hatred being born on social media because of it. People are even being called racist for saying that violence is not the answer, including myself. I understand where the anger and frustration is coming from. Yes I am not black and I will never understand what it is to be black because the color of my skin has never held me back in life. But I see what’s going on around me. I see the way blacks have been treated and I too have a fire burning inside me. If I had ever experienced even an ounce of the suffering they have then I too would be that angry. So yes, I can see why cop cars are being destroyed and police stations are being burned down, but just like Martin Luther King and Malcom X, I believe we always have a choice and it’s those choices that shape who we are. You make that choice and you have to stand by it and be proud of it. The point is there is no wrong or right way to protest when you think about perspectives. The mature thing is to understand that everyone is right in their own perspective and to learn to love one another in spite of our differences. But I choose Martin Luther King. I choose to not condone or support any acts of violence. I stand for peace and that does not mean I value property more than black lives, nor does that make me a racist or a bigot.

Only respectful comments welcome. Thank you.