MLK s Legacy Looms Larger Than Ever
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By OZY Editors
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By OZY Editors
The patron saint of America’s civil rights movement, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is part of every school curriculum and there’s a federal holiday in his name when even George Washington has to share custody. There can be no “next” King, and it’s not fair to anyone to hand off that label. But after a year of conflict and connection around race in America, when we were shaken awake to unresolved issues from King’s day, it’s worth reflecting on who’s carrying his torch in 2021. In honor of Martin Luther King Day, this Sunday Magazine introduces you to today’s leaders across issues to which King devoted his life’s work: poverty, labor, religion and civil rights. Looking for inspiration? Read on.
Thomas Gallatin
When it comes to his son Hunter, Joe Biden will see and hear no evil. This reality was once again driven home last week with Bidenâs insistence regarding the criminal investigation into his son: âI have, we have, great confidence in our son. Iâm not concerned about any accusations that have been made against him.â Biden then passed off the criminal investigation as âkind of foul play.â
The obvious issue for the Trump administration is whether it can truly trust that Biden would remain uninvolved in the years-long FBI investigation into his sonâs shady business dealings. Bidenâs response anytime the mainstream media has dared to ask about Hunter makes it clear that the answer is a resounding âno.â
Many Americans were elated to hear the news about the completion of Operation Warp Speed â an initiative that brought two vaccines for COVID-19. But this historic medical countermeasure does not amuse many in the black community who have reservations about being first in line.
Headlines highlight medical expertsâ insight that suggests black people should be first in line to take the vaccines. This has been met with much pushback from those who are familiar with the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which started in 1932 and lasted until 1972 and resulted in the deaths of numerous black participants.
For this reason, I joined a diverse gathering of concerned individuals for an informational meeting, led by Alveda King Ministries in partnership with the Urban Global Health Alliance, to hear members of the American Frontline Doctors offer clinical insight about the vaccinations. The event was led by Dr. Simone Gold, MD, JD, and founder of the nonprofit organization. She called this m