MLK and Madikizela Mandela - two icons
Published:Wednesday | April 4, 2018 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
As we seek to recover from the loss of Warrior for Justice, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who passed away three days ago, today I recall being shocked at age 14 at the news on April 4, 1968, of the killing of Martin Luther King, Jr. I recall Douglas, my beloved brother, and I cutting hearts from black scrap material in Mommy's scrap box (Mommy was a dressmaker), and pinning it on our uniform shirts before walking a sad journey to school.
Two bitter young men burdened with the senseless murder of Dr King. Why would they unleash violence on a non-violent Baptist minister for justice? What did he know that we did not know when, two days earlier, in a message of hope for justice for us, he said, "I may not get there with you"?
I was sad and felt that I would never make that place (the US) my home. Today, Martin would be sad, too, as his dream is still too far in coming.
Black lives still don't matter
In California just two weeks ago, an unarmed black youth was shot nine times in his back in his family's home, 50 years after the dream speech! Shamefully in 2018, 50 years after Martin's murder, the dream that black lives would one day matter is yet to come to America.
The police in America seem to still be infected by the virus launched by the US Supreme Court its highest court in its 1857 ruling in the Dred Scott case, which held that black people were not, and could never be, citizens of the United States. In the words of our Rastafarians "it still dred up there".
Long live Reverend Martin's courage and fight! Long live the hope of equal justice and true freedom for people of colour all over the world! Long live the ideals of two icons, Martin and Winnie!
Amandla!
Bert Samuels
Attorney-at-Law