
I was late to research and revise an entry for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Amazingly what I found was a unique similarity between what was called for in 1968. Conspiracy theorists opine that King’s fight for racial equality was his first act. They concluded that when he began work to eradicate poverty, there was a chance that he might undo the status quo. That risk was too much so King had to be eliminated. The verity of these allegations will only occur over time.
The remarkable coincidence is that Dr. King’s remedy for poverty strongly resembles the remedy offered by democratic candidate hopeful Andrew Yang called “Universal Basic Income.” Intrigued as I am by the prospect, it seems to good to be true. Several sources report that the MATH is suspect, i.e. that the plan is untenable.
What conclusion can we draw? First, the hope of eliminating poverty is a huge leap. The lesser possibility of leveling the playing field for people at the edge of the precipice is simply awesome.
Secondly, I can’t help but think that Dr. King would be direly disappointed to see that race relations on an individual level seems benign, systematic racism seems unaltered by time and negative affected. As much as things change we must learn to lean in with positive change and take an uncomfortable stand in those spaces where progress is stymied.
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