In the last few years, race relations have gone backwards. In Mississippi, three young white men murdered a 48-year-old black man while yelling “white power” in what was aptly described as a modern-day lynching; an elected judge (who is seeking re-election) attacked a mentally-disabled black man while yelling “run, n****, run;” and just last week State Rep. Gene Alday publicly stated, “I come from a town where all the blacks are getting food stamps and what I call ‘welfare crazy checks.’ They don’t work.” In California, a USC graduate student was targeted and beaten to death because he was Chinese. It was the third Chinese murder near USC’s campus in recent memory, after two students were gunned down in April 2012.
Nationally, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice all had their lives taken too soon in 2014. Just last week, a mosque was burned down in Houston; three Muslims were gunned downed in North Carolina – supposedly over a parking space; and an Indian grandfather was left partially paralyzed in Alabama after police accosted him on a morning walk. Recent court rulings have not been promising for those most likely to be affected by these rulings – the disenfranchised, impoverished, and minorities. Discrimination is not a ghost of the past, it is an issue that haunts our society today.
In his 2013 PBS interview, Congressman Lewis said the March on Washington “was a march for all of America. It was all-inclusive. It was black, and white, Latino, Asian-American, and Native American. It represented the best of America.” For many, Black History Month honors the past. But it should also serve as an annual call to action for those who believe in justice, fairness, and equality. On President’s Day, NPR’sTerry Gross reminded us that “Martin Luther King didn’t have a vote in Congress, but the [Civil Rights Act of 1964] wouldn’t even have been introduced without him and the movement that he helped lead.” Black History Month is an annual reminder that we do not need a microphone to speak up.
Congressman Lewis dedicated March: Book One and March: Book Two “to the past and future children of the movement.” With these words, Lewis pays tribute to past generations as well as his generation. He also dedicated his books to the present and future citizens who believe in justice, fairness, and equality. In the same manner, Black History Month is a tribute to the past and an ode to the future. Black History Month is for blacks, whites, Latinos, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans. It represents the best of America.
My good friend Howard Franklin recently told me he wrote Gideon’s Children because “the current decade is the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement’s struggle for freedom and social justice.” Franklin elaborated, “I wanted to highlight the role of the newly created Public Defenders Offices in fighting to protect individual constitutional rights in pursuit of justice, in particular for persons who are poor and of color, as part of that revolution, and because those very rights are under attack today.”
Last year Congressman Lewis tweeted, “If the Civil Rights Act was before the Congress today, it would not pass, it would probably never make it to the floor for a vote.” Lewis turns 75 tomorrow. Of everyone who spoke at the March on Washington, he is the only one remaining.
We cannot continue to take for granted the rights we have now. We are the future children of the movement. It is our responsibility, especially as minorities in the law, to learn the history and educate others so that we can stand beside Congressman Lewis and fight for our future. If we in the legal community do not fight for justice, fairness, and equality, then who do we expect to advocate for these causes?
Black History Month is not just a tribute to the past because discrimination is not just a memory of the past. Black History Month is an annual call to action for us to contribute to the movement.
Renwei Chung attends SMU Dedman School of Law. He has an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and a MBA from the University of Chicago. He is passionate about writing, technology, psychology, and economics. You can contact Renwei by email at projectrenwei@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter (@renweichung), or connect with him on LinkedIn.