February may be the shortest month of the year, but Black History Month really begins on the third Monday of January, which is the day we honor Martin Luther King, Jr. The federal government encourages citizens to celebrate the day through volunteerism, calling it a “day of national service.” But many District of Columbia residents understand that we truly honor Martin Luther King, Jr. through political activism and not volunteerism.
Today, every elected official wants to hang their hat on the mantle of Martin Luther King, but many can’t claim that position without some hypocrisy. In the fall of 2018, an overwhelming majority of District of Columbia council members overturned Initiative 77, a proposal placed on the ballot by District residents that would have gradually raised the minimum wage for tipped minimum workers from $3.89 to $15 per hour in eight years time. Would Martin Luther King, Jr., have backed Initiative 77? His support for Memphis sanitation workers, right before his assassination, suggests that he would have.
Most of the citizens who showed up in Anacostia to participate in this year’s Martin Luther King Jr Peace March despite this year’s frigid cold, were to honor King’s activism. The video below is a testament to the continuing struggle not only for civil rights but also human rights in the District of Columbia.
Props to Di Luong, first-time Grassroots DC videographer, and John Goodine, whose editing skills get better and better every day.
