It's important to note that almost 70 per cent of the population in today’s US were either not alive or were not living in the US during Martin Luther King, Jr’s lifetime. They either hadn’t been born yet or had not yet immigrated to the US.
The majority of Americans have no personal recollection of segregated lunch counters, water fountains and bathrooms, of the dogs and fire hoses that were unleashed on black children simply because they were protesting for equality. And they don't remember the disgusting racist rhetoric used by elected officials – senators, governors and others – seeking to maintain the old, segregated order that King and his colleagues sought to tear down.
Nor do they recall the horrors of the lives wasted in an unwinnable war in Vietnam and the trauma of a nation torn asunder by that conflict. And they do not remember the crisis of wretched poverty that plagued inner cities and rural regions – problems that then president Lyndon B Johnson sought to address with his Great Society programmes, which were tragically stymied by the political, economic and social costs of the war. All of this needs to be remembered in order to understand King in the context of his time.
Last week, the US celebrated Martin Luther King Day – a national holiday dedicated to the life and legacy of that greatest of champions in the 20th century’s struggle for equality and justice. The effort to gain national recognition for MLK Day took 14 years, from when it was first proposed in 1970, until it was finally passed by Congress and signed into law in 1983.
It has long been troubling to many of us who fought to have this day recognised that, instead of remembering King as he really was, the meaning of the day and his memory have been hollowed out. He has been transformed into a fuzzy, feel-good figure, and the struggles for which he gave his life have been largely ignored.
Getting the holiday established was controversial because King himself was controversial. He was a true transformational historical figure who fought against racial discrimination, militarism and economic injustice. During his lifetime, even many of those who supported his struggle to end racial segregation in the southern US and to secure voting rights for black Americans could not accept the broader vision King projected. When he moved the focus of his movement from protesting segregation in the South to confronting discriminatory policies in housing and education in the North, or when he spoke out against the evils inherent in the US war in Vietnam, or when he embraced the cause of economic justice for those who were denied opportunity in the wealthiest nation on Earth by supporting striking workers or mobilising the poor people’s campaign – he was rebuked by some who said he should stay in his lane, or that he was getting involved in issues that distracted from his central message.
The controversies were to be expected precisely because the moral challenges he presented were so deeply upsetting to those who embraced and benefited from the status quo.
As it is with humankind, with the passage of time we tend to forget the past. We gloss over and romanticise it. It was precisely this process of historical amnesia that we sought to upend by establishing a day honouring King. Our hope in securing the recognition of MLK Day was not only that he would be remembered as a leader and a man who devoted his life to the fight against injustice, but also that the realities he confronted and the injustices he opposed would never be forgotten.
What those of us who supported him had hoped when we fought to commemorate his birthday was that King's holiday would be one on which we would recall this history and the sacrifices he and so many others made in their efforts to bring needed change, and would then recommit ourselves to using, if necessary, the tools he had used to fight injustice, poverty and war.
Given this background, with the economic and social challenges confronted by King still present, it is deeply distressing that four decades later the political and moral challenges he posed to the established order have been diluted or erased from historical memory. Today, America is still torn apart by deep and abiding racial inequities, extreme income and wealth disparity, challenges to voting rights and government budgets that prioritise militarism and waging unwinnable wars at the expense of the social well-being of citizens. In the face of these problems, it is an insult for us to have celebrated Martin Luther King Day without the message of King and the empowering tactics he used being foremost in our minds. Americans need him today as much as they needed him during his lifetime.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
New schools in Dubai
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PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
West Asia Premiership
Thursday
Jebel Ali Dragons 13-34 Dubai Exiles
Friday
Dubai Knights Eagles 16-27 Dubai Tigers
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
More on animal trafficking
Blue%20Beetle
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Manchester City 4
Otamendi (52) Sterling (59) Stones (67) Brahim Diaz (81)
Real Madrid 1
Oscar (90)
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Read more about the coronavirus
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
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