Lest we Remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I grew up in probably the most racist town and around some of the most racist people as a young boy where the word “nigger” was used as a disgusting punchline.  There weren’t black people in my school until I was in eighth grade…and even then the family had to sue the school to allow them to attend.  I was very young and didn’t understand the “politics” behind the stupidity…that was for grown ups to worry about.

Many of the smaller towns and villages (it seems kinda strange to write villages) like Ridgefield, NJ didn’t allow blacks to live or even pass through their municipality.  On more than one occasion you would see a policeman with a car pulled over on Broad Ave or my street Shaler Blvd and it usually had a black man or men inside.

I once asked an acquaintance of mine who happened to be a patrolman why the majority of cars pulled over were blacks and his statement shocked me, ” one, we don’t want these people here, they bring property values down…and 9 out of 10 times blacks have “marijuana” in there possession”, all I could think of was Holy Shit.  This was 1980.  I was still in High School being taught about American history and how Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated because he believed that we should all live together in peace… but this bigotry still had fuel…in 1980.

In my youth I boxed for a club out of Union City, NJ that had guys from everywhere, Blacks, Latinos, Whites and I never knew a better family environment than in some of my boxing friends homes.  I was often jealous to see how their parents really cared about them and supported their endeavors.  A far cry from where I came from.

On this day that we celebrate the great Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday please look into your own heart and remember that everyone has a dream and the color of his/her skin should never suffocate that dream…

Here is Dr. King’s famous “I have a Dream” Speech.