Not everyone realized the MLK march wasn’t just about freedom – we have that now. What we need today, in hopes of another 50 years, is a better justice system for men and women of color.
Injustice runs rampant in the judicial system. I am a member of One.org and Change.org, and it’s interesting how suddenly so many people are experiencing injustices in the judicial system: needing millions of signatures just to get cases back into the courts. We have to pick our battles and what we believe are unfair practices. My personal battle is that once someone serves their time in prison, no prosecutor or judge should use their past crime to support a current case when there is not sufficient evidence for the alleged crime he/she is in court for.
Deal with the now. A judge and a prosecutor should be making a determination of evidence that is present, not time served in the past. That is my battle.
MLK also talked about low-wage workers and homelessness. Fair practice of wages and homelessness and hunger all go together.
Southwest DC, and many parts of over our nation have been experiencing constant hunger, injustice and homelessness for over 70 years. People will work thinking low wages are better than no wages. But what happens if you can’t find decent housing for yourself or your family? What if you have to choose between food and shelter?
It’s interesting, even at the age of 57 years old, remembering how my parents struggled during the late ‘50s and ‘60s to feed me and my brother and to keep a roof over our heads. My mom went to college and she worked hard for me and my brother to live in decent housing. My dad did the same to the point that he had to travel from one state to another state in order to find decent wages.
After 50 years, people shouldn’t be going through these same issues. Working homelessness has been in existence for over 70 years! I am sure everyone has read this book “Grapes of Wrath.” They made a movie starring Henry Fonda.
Grapes of Wrath is still going on to this day. It discusses injustice in the judicial system, low wages and homelessness and that book was written before the “New Deal” laws in the 1930s. Injustice, hunger and homelessness are EVERYONE’S responsibility even if it’s not happening to you or your family. Come on folks, it’s our responsibility as human beings to stand up to say: “Hey, enough. Let’s fix the system, because it’s been broken for far too long.”
