On January 16, the City of Madison, Dane County, and the State of Wisconsin celebrated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the great civil rights leader whose life and death changed the course of American history, reforming a society that historically considered -- and treated -- Blacks and other coloreds below that of a human being. I was an enthusiastic observer, hoping to see many familiar faces in the Asian American community celebrating this momentous occasion with our brothers and sisters in the African American community. Unfortunately, there were very few Asian faces among thousands, both in the State Capitol rotunda, where Wisconsinites honored Alabama lawyer Fred Gray (who represented the late Rosa Parks in the case that started the Montgomery Bus Boycott) and James Cameron, founder of the Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee; and in the Overture Center, where Madisonians and Dane County residents honored four MLK awardees, including our very own Paul Kusuda, one of Asian Wisconzine's columnists and member of our editorial advisory board.
While I was so proud of Paul, I agonized at the thought that most people around me were Blacks and Whites only. They sat side by side, applauding together, holding hands as they sang "We Shall Overcome," and engaging in animated and warm exchange of pleasantries. Whether or not the scenes I saw were for the cameras, I was hoping Asian Americans were also there for the record. To me, being a participant in such a big community event commemorating one of the greatest achievements of people of color in world history that pushed civil rights in the forefront reflects our gratitude to those who sacrificed their lives to make ours better today. It reflects our resolve to be in unity with others to protect the hard-earned civil rights that we now enjoy as Americans.
There is so much to learn and understand about others different from us that we Asian Americans should grab opportunities to participate and be counted. For example, Dr. Gloria Johnson-Powell, keynote speaker at the City-County MLK event, spoke of the health disparities among minority peoples due to unique genetic/cultural differences. She cited instances in her own family in which members were misdiagnosed and precribed the wrong medicine, resulting in death. Tony Brown, the first dean of Howard University's School of Journalism and author of the book "What Mama Taught Me," believed that a "reasoning problem," not a "racial problem" is blocking Dr. King's dream of equality and perpetuating racism. People should be educated about the human race, he said, of which he is a member. Moments like these are learning moments indeed.
Beyond the awards, the speeches, and the music, is the hope that Americans, regardless of the color of their skin, would honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. Words such as "We still have a long way to go in terms of race relations" simply express the reality that we haven't done much to thank Martin Luther King Jr. for his ultimate sacrifice.
Asian Americans still have a long way to go to understand other Asian groups and collaborate on meaningful ways. We still have a very long way to go to understand other non-Asian groups. It's time to reflect on our race relations ourselves. |
