I’m sitting here watching the ninth episode of the first season of The Boondocks, titled ‘The Return Of The King,’ which aired January 15, 2006. The episode tackles the concept of what if MLK were alive today, how disgusted and downright disappointed he would be with how things are now.
In the episode, Huey Freeman narrates an alternate version of history in which Martin Luther King Jr. survived his assassination attempt on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, but fell into a 32-year coma, awakening in October 2000.
Aaron McGruder the show’s creator, dealt with MLK, seeing how some of the streets named after him were the most violent, his disgust with BET, and the videos and music we see and hear all day, just to name a few of the issues it dealt with.
I sat there watching this episode, left with a big What If????
What if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were still alive today???
It made me realize how the Katrina aftermath showed the world just how far away America still is from that famous dream Dr. Martin Luther King Jr had that we hear all day on the radio and television every January and February.
How would he have dealt with the government’s slow response and the rebuilding of New Orleans??
Where would we be if he were still alive today?
What would he think of the current state of Hip Hop
What would he think of today’s lyrics
What would he think of the ways things are after the sacrifices he and others made for advancements, that today’s youth don’t take advantage of or even care in some cases???
What would he think of our current leaders who would rather play it safe than speak out on the atrocities faced by those in our inner cities? And how the preachers, teachers, and politicians continue to water down his legacy by turning him into a peaceful dreamer?
What happens when the youth wait for a leader and one never comes- what do they do, where do they turn???
When do we stop sitting still, celebrating the civil rights movement of the 60’s, and reminiscing, and step up to the plate and deal with our current situations we are facing.
As the title of Kevin Powell’s book ask “Who Will Take The Weight?”
How would MLK utilize this new technology age, we are in to get the word out and educate the youth and his people?
Big up to Aaron McGruder and company for addressing the topic.
Like the Boondocks, I pray this editorial is thought-provoking.
How do u think it would be if he were alive today?
What would be different???
Inquiring minds wanna know!!!
If Dr. MLK jr was alive he would be very disappointed with the state of this country and how black and brown people are being terrorized. Good article.
You are my aspiration.
Thank you