Pat Brown and Dave Brown are authors of Black and White: How the Left is Destroying the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Founding Fathers.
Pat: This morning, I woke up to no headlines about MLK, Jr. Day in the Google feed! Not one! If I search under Google News, I do come up with a few stories about MLK in the conservative media. How fascinating is that? Has the Left abandoned MLK’s dream for a new, more progressive version of race in America? It seems that the dream of Martin Luther King — that we all get judged by our characters and not our colors, that our children, black and white, would hold hands and be friends in the years ahead of his great speech in Washington D.C. — has turned into a nightmare. When I married a black man in 1979 and raised three non-white children, I depended on MLK’s vision to come true, and I thought it would. In fact, it seems to me, we were doing well on that journey until the arrival of Barack Obama, and the beginnings of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Dave: When does Martin Luther King get canceled? By today’s standards, his message of a colorblind society and racial unity seems dated. His message was blunt; equality, that’s it. He had a dream that “the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” But is that “woke” enough by today’s standards? From everything we’ve seen over the last four years, that answer is no. We now have “micro-aggressions” and “white fragility” among dozens of other “racial equity tools.”
Pat: I cannot believe today that my grandchildren will suffer more from racism than the kids I raised in the 1980s and 1990s! Why, back then, I just worried about my non-white children not having as good opportunities as if they were white. I never worried about them having bad encounters with the police or being attacked by the Klan or White Supremacists. And they grew up pretty much without those worries. But, now, my two white grandchildren will either be labeled Nazis if they don’t become “allies” with black power groups and practice “anti-racism” or, if they are too black, they will be required to hate white people and join Black Lives Matter or else.
Dave: We’ve learned recently per a Washington Post article that Proud Boy’s member Enrique Tarrio, who identifies as Afro-Cuban, was part of a phenomenon called “multiracial whiteness,” where persons of color can now engage in the politics of “aggression, exclusion, and domination.” In my childhood, simpler phrases were used; they just called you a “Milkdud” or an “Oreo.” Or if they really wanted to impress upon you that your lack of adherence to leftist dogma was reviled, they would go with the “Uncle Tom” or “bootlicker.” Isn’t that amazing? The people who claim to be the biggest champions of racial equality have invented new ways to well…be racist. We’ve jumped the shark, circled back around, and jumped the shark again. Each new day brings a new twist and turn in the “fight for equality.”
Pat: And what should white conservatives, black conservatives, biracial conservatives, Hispanic and Asian conservatives do as we enter 2021 and the race war has revved up with the new incoming administration? How do we speak up without losing our livelihoods, our “free speech” on social media, our friends, and, possibly, our lives? How to band together to inspire conservatives of all races and mixed races to fight apartheid in this country. Where do we go from here to keep MLK’s dream alive?
Dave: How did we ruin such a straightforward message? Well, we didn’t. The Left did, and they show no sign of letting up. So today, on Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, I’m nostalgic for yesteryear, where there are no “safe spaces” or “trigger” words. No kneeling for the National Anthem or fists raised in the air. Bring back the time when we as Americans recognized our imperfections, knew we could do better, and strove each day to make this country a little brighter, a little kinder, and a little closer to Martin Luther King’s dream.
“Pat Brown and Dave Brown are the authors of Black and White: How the Left is Destroying the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Our Founding Fathers available Feb. 2nd”
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the authors’ own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.