A Memphis pastor is speaking out against MLK Day, claiming the annual tradition of honoring the civil rights icon does not reflect the everyday actions of many Americans. “You have to hold people’s feet to the fire to practice what they’re preaching,” said Earle Fisher, Abyssinian Baptist Church Pastor and Up the Vote 901 Founder.
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“That’s why I’m calling MLK Day in Memphis and in so many parts of the nation a sham,” said Fisher, localmemphis.com reports.Hear him tell it via the clip below.
“We have people who say that we should honor Dr. King, but they pay their workers less than a livable wage,” Fisher added. “I would love to see people in elected office mayors, city council people, county commissioners, governors, presidents. I’d like to see business owners –especially of major corporations like FedEx or Elvis Presley Enterprises or Auto Zone– put their policies and their practices up against King’s philosophies and see if they’re actually aligned.”
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Dr. Noelle Trent at the National Civil Rights Museum notes that the fight for justice should be happening daily, not celebrated on one specific day.
“You can find justice in service. We use this moment to help us jump start or continue re-energize us in the work that we do moving forward. If it’s only a day for you just to do a community outreach activity and you’re not continuing the fight for social justice, then you’ve missed the point of this experience,” said Dr. Trent.
“This is a day of service. This is a day of his legacy. It’s also a day to remind ourselves that we have further steps to take,” said Nathan Mackintosh, Indiana student. “If we’re going to look forward to progress, I think we need to move forward to encompassing all of those aspects.”
Do you agree?
PHOTO: AP
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