Happy Birthday To All fellow Aquarians—Logic And Truth Will Take Care Of Us!

I would like to extend a happy birthday to my family: my father Jerry
Ammons (Feb. 6), sister Alicia Boss (Feb. 18), grandfather Bob Bailey
(Feb. 15), and Jelani Saadiq (Feb. 24) and to myself (Feb. 7).
During this month of February (Fevrier), we will all experience a flood of
“token gestures” toward memorable, deceased “African-Americans” for
their sacrifices; however, logic and truth will not be exalted.
Have we asked the question, gotten the answer, made the decision and done the work
necessary to understand how these “great” people came to the conclusions that they obviously
did? Or will we, for example, continue to insult the intelligence and disregard the
disobedience of Rosa Parks by saying “she was just tired that day,” or “her feet were hurting
too bad to give up her seat that day?” Why have we reduced the courage and commitment
it takes to stand in the face of ignorance to clichés: “I Have a Dream,” “By Any
Means Necessary,” or “Power to the People”? Where is the investigation and research that
uncovers the “method to the madness” so that the onlookers of history can walk away
with the processes that lead to the reshaping of the American political and social landscape?
If the masses are not taught the “how-to” of social movements such as the Civil
Rights Movement, how will they translate the problems of today into solutions that bring
about the restructuring of the establishment?
Does the “I Have a Dream” speech move you to tears, or does it extinguish your fears?
An emotional outburst usually amounts to a fleeting immediate pleasure. In contrast,
studying, meditating upon and practicing the principles that Dr. King lived for, will produce
just outcomes. For the sake of clarity, we must understand that along with his belief
in God and mastery of theology, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was also well versed in
history, philosophy, and sociology. In order to fulfill his duties, Dr. King challenged many
of the traditional beliefs of the church, while internalizing the fact that “… the good shepherd
lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Many people continue to ask the question, how did they do what they did? The
answer, as simple as it may seem, was that each person individually committed themselves
to education. Education is defined as the acquiring of knowledge (principles/sociological
science) for the sole purpose of serving the health, rights, interests and needs of
all people. It is this understanding of education that achieved the greatest change in the
economic, political, and social fabric of America. Education led Dr. King, Rosa Parks,
Reverend Bevel, John Lewis, Bernard Lafeyette, Septima Clark and others to study at
Highlander Folk School with Myles Horton (see: highlandercenter.org). A thorough
search into the biographies of “great” people will unveil a dedication, commitment and
obedience to love, truth, wisdom and discipline (among other principles and sciences)
that led them to being remembered forever. The melodic voice of Dr. King certainly had
an attraction but it was the content of his speeches that resonated in the subconscious
mind of millions. Remember his dream? “…not judged by the color of their skin (Black
history) but the content of their character” (integrity, dignity, wisdom & discipline).
I leave you all with what has now become my favorite quote by Margaret Mead
because of the truth, love, and wisdom within it: “Never doubt that a small group of citizens
can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” BE, peace. BE, just.