The
full quote of Dr. Martin Luther King is “There is nothing more
dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
The
quote comes to mind as Omicron makes its presence known to us in a
big, deadly way. The profound words of Dr. King are prophetic even if
he didn’t know a pandemic would hit this country and turn our
lives upside down.
Recently,
the U.S. has reported a record single-day number of daily COVID-19
cases. There have been more than one million new infections with the
highest seven-day average of daily new cases in any country. We are
shattering records and I’d say it’s mainly from a good
dose of sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
Starting
with a former fool of a president and fast forward, we’ve seen
a legion of governors, mayors and other so-called officials oppose
protocols that would be saving lives. This pandemic has become a
power play for Republicans and American citizens are the collateral
damage.
It
has been duly noted that the 95% of the new COVID-19 cases in the
nation are those areas of unvaccinated people. Except for Louisiana,
the ten states with the lowest vaccination rates are headed by
Republican governors.
Dr.
King would have been disappointed - but not surprised - that the
southern states where he invested so much time and sweat equity are
amongst those ten states. The last state in which he stepped foot,
the state where he gasped his last breath, was Tennessee. The state
rates #40 in healthcare and #33 in education out of the fifty states.
One of every six residents lives in poverty. No real progress here.
These
three quality of life indicators, healthcare, education and income,
are what Dr. King fought so desperately for. He understood that
children, particularly African American children, would not fare well
as adults if they weren’t healthy and educated. Their ability
to fully participate in this democracy would be greatly compromised.
He understood that education is an equalizer and that poverty is a
barrier.
I
think Dr. King would be frustrated and saddened by where we are in
this country today. It is just as racially polarized as it was during
the Civil Rights Movement. I can hear his emotional plea to provide
people with the necessary information to make rational decisions
about COVID-19 vaccinations, to transcend race and class in the name
of saving lives. He would be fighting for health care like people’s
lives truly depending on it.
The
pandemic has been weaponized and racialized. Soon, the airwaves will
be full of Dr. King having a dream. If people seriously want to honor
the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., they should recommit to
the struggle against racism, poverty and militarism. Dr. King would
tell us that despite COVID-19, America needs to still “make
real the promises of democracy.”
