Staying Humble and Open - MLK Day
MLK Day was this week, which is a great reminder that the arc of justice and progress can be long, but always worth it. One of my favorite pieces from Dr. King is “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.” I recommend giving it a read if you haven’t before. Dr. King was clear in his assessment that apathy, standing witness to injustice and staying silent, was the most dangerous path of all.
“I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.”
If you are open and curious about doing some deeper work on diversity, equity and inclusion to help make this world and your community and company a better place, I also recommend the following activity for your personal consideration. I’ve done it for myself. The results are anonymous to you, but you may learn more about blind spots and areas that could use attention in your work with others.
The tests located at Harvard’s website will help you uncover any implicit bias you may not be aware of. Remember, it doesn’t make you bad person, just flawed and human as we all are, and we can’t grow and do better/be better if we don’t know. You can find them here.
I’m also listening to Dolly Chugh’s The Person You Mean to Be. It’s a great book on how to actually be and do better in showing up as the good people we envision ourselves as and hope to always be. It’s available for free on the Libby App, which is the public library on any device – phone, laptop or tablet! Here’s a great short TED Talk from her if that’s more your style.
In all things, we are growing and learning. Let’s grow in community, in kindness, in humility and compassion. Let’s grow in openness. Let’s become better people, one difficult and honest step at a time.
