‘We Still Suffer Racism’ — Americans Lament On Martin Luther King Holiday

NEW ORLEANS: Some Americans are optimistic that racial discrimination will be history in the future, and Martin Luther King’s Holiday is for them, a symbol of hope.

Martin Luther King Jr Day (MLK Day) also called ‘King Day’ is a federal holiday observed every third Monday of January in the US.

The 2024 holiday coincides with the 95th posthumous birthday of the revered activist, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

King was born on January 15, 1929, and he was the Chief Spokesperson of non-violent activism in the Civil Rights Movement that protested racial discrimination in the US.

The campaign for a federal holiday in his honour began after he was assassinated in 1968. Former US President, Ronald Regan signed the holiday into law in 1983 and it was first observed in 1986.

It took more years until 50 states in the US recognised the holiday. New Orleans was one of the first cities that observed King Day.

THE WHISTLER found that last week, a life-size statue of King was unveiled at the new Louisiana Civil Rights Museum at the New Orleans Ernest N. Memorial Convention Centre.

The new Louisiana Civil Rights Museum was closed on Monday during a visit on MLK Day.

THE WHISTLER visited some retail outlets and eateries in New Orleans. At Riverwalk in Poydras Street in New Orleans, retail stores and some eateries observed King Holiday and were open by 10a.m.

Stores like Forever 21, Bele & Co, Nola Creations, Skechers, GUESS, and Levi’s in Riverwalk were all closed and opened at 10am.

At St. Peter St., Ernst Cafe observed the holiday and opened at 10am.

Some Americans who spoke to THE WHISTLER argued that more needs to be done to achieve equality for different races in the US.

Jay Greene, a fireman with around 20 years of experience and a construction worker said he perceives the MLK Holiday as more than just a celebration.

Greene said, “It is a movement for minorities in America, equality, it teaches us purpose and it showed us passion, like when Martin Luther King and the entire movement, I do not want to limit it to him… He didn’t do it alone, there were a lot of people around him, including the civil society movement that didn’t get recognition as part of that movement.”

Greene believes that the holiday teaches Americans to keep moving forward in everything that they want to do.

According to him, Martin Luther King’s push for equality was a massive goal to reach, and it potentially helped people of other colours achieve anything that they wanted to attain.

“White people did not want equality, but that was their goal to push for equality, for their kids, our kids whereas now, these things were pushed for, but we are still not on that level,” Greene said.

He admitted that racial equality in the US is not perfect but racism is improving and would be better if every American played their role in killing the separation of colour.

Greene said, “It is not perfect by no means because my parent used to say that the one way you can push our racism is that those generation needs to die old and as they fade away, the younger generation will have to see things naturally. They do not get to see things as we did – I know as time goes back, it will continue to get better. But it is still coming together. But it is a lot better than what we had then.

“I just want it to continue… And we have to do our own part, and equality is what you put into it… You have to do your part… and this has nothing to do with colours because we are our own enemies and I think it is a systemic situation – the way we were raised, we were raised to be in competition with one another, that the opposition, but if we come together as a people, we will be a lot better.

“We have to kill the separation of colour, of finances, and put us on a different level from one another.”

Kerela Wheeler is a sales manager at Forever 21, a retail store in Riverwalk who described MLK as one of the chosen rights activists who fought for black equality.

She said, “He (Martin Luther King) is like an icon. Everybody knows that he led African Americans. To some of us, he is like one of the chosen ones who led the civil rights and fought for us, and wanted everybody to be equal.”

She decried the ‘silent’ racism that blacks have to face in the US.

Curtis 34 is a singer and works at the Convention Centre. He explained that blacks are still discriminated against in the US.

Curtis said, “The Holiday means a lot to us. He fought for us. Most definitely he spoke for us but there is still a lot of racism going on right now and what he did for us made America a different place now.

“Back then it was a lot. To me, I just feel like Martin Luther King is a hero because there was a lot of slavery and racism back then.”

Curtis believes that there is still a lot of ‘racism’ in the US adding,“We have freedom that we didn’t have back then but now we do but there are lot of things that we still cannot do.”

“I have been in jail for 18 years it is like when you are black, you get judged and go to jail for anything, unlike the others. For me, it is now beyond race.”

He said some positions are difficult for blacks to attain.