~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
Constructing A Memorial. Deconstructing Race
Bro. JOSEPH C. PHILLIPS:
(January 26, 2006)
Not too long ago, I wrote about the ongoing effort to build a [memorial for
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the mall in Washington D.C. Since that
writing quite a bit of progress has been made. The senate recently
approved $10 million to begin groundbreaking for the memorial, the Walt
Disney Company has made a sizable donation and George Lucas stepped to the
plate with a personal check for $1 million adding his name to the growing
list of large individual donors that already includes Tommy Hilfiger, and
Bill and Donna Marriott.
Noticeably absent from the list of donors are names like Bill Cosby, Oprah
Winfrey, Bob Johnson, Russell Simmons, Spike Lee, Sean Combs, Al Sharpton,
Jesse Jackson and others.
I am normally the first to support everyone's right to live life as they
wish without fear of an admonition from other members of the "group." For
instance, there is no earthly reason all black folks should be required to
vote for the same candidate, root for the same sports team, or like the
same kind of music. Still, I would be dishonest if I said the absence of
so many prominent black individuals on the role of financial supporters
didn't give me (as Gwen McCrae sang), "a funky sensation." When Tommy
Hilfiger and George Lucas are writing checks in an effort to establish a
memorial for Dr. King while Cosby and Winfrey stand on the sidelines and
watch, something is askew.
I want to make it explicitly clear that I am not calling anyone out or
questioning anyone's philanthropic spirit. The generosity of the Cosbys
and Winfrey is unquestioned. Their charitable spirits have touched
thousands across the country. And when all is said and done, it is their
money. They worked hard for it and they are free to do with it what they
please.
Yet, that funky sensation remains. Are there, in fact, causes that a person
by nature of being black (or any ethnic group for that matter) has a
responsibility to support in the name of "the community"? If left up to
me, all black people in America would donate to sickle cell research, black
cultural institutions like The African American Museum and of course the
building of the King memorial. Yet, I find it a bit of a fascist notion
that one person or group of people can decide how others should spend their
money. Besides, ultimately sickle cell, museums and the memorial are
merely my personal interests, a reflection of my values and preferences
rather than some moral or legal obligation to which all black people should
be bound. I may do better to seek out those that share my beliefs rather
than those that share my race. I suppose one can't have it both ways.
Either we are going to embrace our individualism and the freedom to abandon
the construct of race or we are going to remain in its grasp, always
beholden to someone else's definition of our ethnic selves and by extension
the collective ownership of our time and resources.
Remember that it was Dr. King's call to move beyond race and embrace the
substance of our characters that made him not simply a black hero, but an
American hero. His work uplifted all Americans and built bridges that
transcended race. Dr. King was a man all Americans should celebrate and
any monument ought to rise above expectations built on artificial
constructs and reflect the financial support of a cross section of
Americans.
As of this writing, the foundation needs another $4 million for government
matching funds to kick in. We have momentum and with the continued work of
a lot of people of various races and with shared values, the King memorial
will become a reality.
For more information on the King Memorial go to
www.buildthedream.org
Joseph C. Phillips is an actor/writer based in Los Angeles. His column
appears regularly in several newspapers and he is a regular commentator on
News and Notes with Ed Gordon on NPR and has a book due out from Running
Press in April. Contact him at:
Joseph@josephcphillips.com