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“The more things change, the more they stay the same” (plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose) - Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. King’s message it is clear that his vision, his voice, and his message is still so pertinent for us today. How long? Not long, you shall reap what you sow… How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."Īs we reflect on Dr. "How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever. King in his speech “Our God is Marching On” asked: After his historic march from Selma to Montgomery, on Maon the steps of the State Capitol, in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.” (Habakkuk 1:1-4)Īs a modern prophetic voice, the late Dr. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me there is strife, and conflict abounds. “ How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? In the late 7th century BC the prophet Habakkuk grappled with the same question as he complained and cried out against wickedness, violence, injustice, and wrongdoing he saw, and he experienced God as one seemingly ignored: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are prone to ask, “how long?” Why does justice seem to take so long? They are not alone. The scourge of white supremacy and institutional racism has caused great suffering to communities of color and crippled the spiritual vitality of the nation.įifty-eight years later we are confronted with “The fierce urgency of now.” Tomorrow is indeed today. We need to find substantive ways to address these issues and be intentional and dedicated in dismantling this scourge in the United States of America. “The fierce urgency of now” is more than a call to action, it is also a call to acknowledge truth. While there are so many powerful parts of this speech, one of the phrases that always stuck with me was “The fierce urgency of now.”Īs a nation of diverse people, we can no longer deny the reality of white supremacy and institutional racism in our communities and institutions. King was my hero and became the inspiration that contributed to the birth of my deep sense of social consciousness and sensitivity to human pain and injustice. Growing up in the 1960s in the Caribbean, I was affected by this speech and recall writing it out, learning and reciting it with excitement when I was 9 and 10 years old.
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It is a call not just for the 1960s but for today. The phrase “The fierce urgency of now” is not only bold but prophetic. King made a clarion call for racial and social justice. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. On August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial on the Washington, D.C. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” - Martin Luther King Jr. This is no time for apathy or complacency. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there "is" such a thing as being too late. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today.