Braced For Change But Prepared For Risks - Celebrating Dr. King’s Birthday

As we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 2010, we do so in the middle of some volatile, changing times in the world. Times where unemployment and risks have grown larger than ever before. Times when we need to begin to take more control over the values that shape our lives. Each of us has a time bank. The clock is ticking. Every morning your time bank credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever time you have wasted. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. There is no drawing against tomorrow.

For those of us in radio these are indeed tough times. We have been forced to tackle huge risks and do more with less. In some cases, almost singlehandedly we have been forced to choose our allies carefully and avoid those who deal with risks one piece at a time. We have found, as Dr. King found, that while you’re working away on one risk, another will reach out and grab you.

Dr. King devised and executed the strategies that defined him and made him a master of risk management, courage and non-violence. Of all the qualities typically cited as crucial to the makeup of his leadership and success, none is taken for granted more than pure courage. The courage of Dr. King goes far beyond pure numbers.

As we look back at and reflect on the dreams and visions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday we celebrate this week, it's also a time to look back and remember. It's a time to reflect. It's also a time to remember the aftershock of an event that would plunge the nation and the world into shock and mourning. Dr. King's life and career were remarkably short. He was only 34 when he delivered his landmark "I Have A Dream" speech in Washington, DC in 1963. He was just 35 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize. And he was just 39 when he was shot down in a motel in Memphis in 1968.

Dr. King had a dream about African-Americans walking down main streets, sitting in the front of the buses, eating at lunch counters and no longer being afraid, no longer being forced to enter through and eat at rear entrances. In fact, Dr. King's back door was often the influence entry of one of America's most powerful leaders.

His legacy lives on today, not just in history books, but also through the everyday words and deeds of countless people who still believe in and cherish his dream.

Dr. King's dream and struggles for freedom were not just black or brown struggles; they were human ones. He opened minds, hearts and doors in ways no one had ever done. He made us understand we are tied together in a human destiny of life and bound by faith. That's why we celebrate his life and continue to deeply mourn his passing.

As we move further into 2010, already we can anticipate some changes in our institutions, government, education, arts, business, radio and music. They all play an important role in advancing multiculturalism. We are, after all, part of an America of many cultures, people and languages. However, obstacles of prejudice and cultural ignorance continue to remind us of just how lofty a goal "justice for all" really is. Our challenge has become finding balance between the "pluribus" and "unum" of our nation's motto -- to become one out of many; to be different, but equal. We live in a multiracial society where no group can make it alone.

The year 2010 will continue to be marked by some of the most revolutionary events in history. Costly wars are being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tremendous economic and technological advances, globalization and the emergence of a new movement have the power to change the face of today's society. Recent layoffs, wrongful terminations and continued underemployment have taken a heavy economic toll on African-Americans. Why talk about something as esoteric as breaking the glass ceiling when so many African-Americans are being laid off or phased out under the guises of downsizing and there is no one left, in fact, to break it?

We find ourselves filled with questions. What kind of industry and country do we want to have? Can we remain competitive in this new decade and beyond? Can we move forward and still hold on to tradition? Will we continue working toward including rather than excluding those who are "other" from our communities, our schools, our radio stations, our record labels and our businesses?

Times have changed for the Urban and Urban AC stations whose mission was once to inform and entertain. The informing part of that commitment has been severely damaged by what owners claim are the economic realities of business.

Many stations today have little or no news commitment. Those commitments seldom extend beyond morning drive, Monday to Friday. And even much of that news is national news, lifestyle news and is often a small part of a syndicated morning show. If African-Americans still need to get much of their information about their communities from black radio, what does this say about our commitment to serve their interests?

Speaking of interests, how can we have a strong democracy when most stations are concentrated in the hands of only a few? And it's a few who do not necessarily reflect a growing part of our nation. If we develop into a nation of technological haves and have-nots, divided by income, race and ethnicity, we're going to take a giant step backwards. Rev. Jesse Jackson calls it "the re-segregation of America." And he’s right. That is real.

What is also real is the speed at which things are changing. The question then becomes how do we make sure the information highway has on-ramps and off-ramps into every neighborhood? This is part of the digital divide. You see it where highways bypassed minority communities or walled them off from the mainstream of commerce. Today you can travel to almost any market in America and see those great superhighways. The information highway can be a bridge that brings us together or one that continues to divide us. The civil rights challenge for the new decade is to make sure African-Americans share in the benefits of the information highway and age.

Because of the information highway, today's consumers can shop and buy practically anything, anywhere, anytime. "Going to the mall" without having to be there is turning into a real-time choice as consumers use wireless, web and cable technologies to purchase products.

Your best customer is still an educated consumer. Now the question that emerges is who educates him? Apathy leads to exploitation. The availability in digitized form of any game, music, software, movie or book has already become a major factor. None of these things were even in the developing stages when Dr. Martin Luther King was alive, but now, thanks to the new technology, everybody knows about Dr. Martin Luther King … many through the use of the new technology.

Someone said of Dr. Martin Luther King's murder back in 1968, they have shot the dreamer and now we will see what happens to the dream. Today, in 2010, Dr. King's "dream" lives on. Dreamers and the power of dreams are important, no matter who's dreaming them.

Dreams allow us to see things other people don't see. All of us, whether we want to admit it or not, whether we can remember them or not, have dreams. Some of us are living our dreams. Others are still forming their dreams. And, unfortunately, some people have lost or given up on their dreams. As we celebrate and commemorate his birthday, we want to encourage you not to give up on your dreams and to keep the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King's dreams and hopes alive.

These are the reasons why we celebrate this special day, the dreamer and the reason for the dream.

Dr. King dreamt of a world where elected officials acted more like statesmen than politicians … where voters or all races realize that matters such as health care, jobs and same-sex marriage are personal, not political issues … where morality is shared, not legislated. These are dreams and goals we can keep alive, along with hope as we embark upon what is certain to be one of the most exciting and limitless decades in history.

And so in 2010 we find there is still only one answer, just one way to deliver on Dr. King's dream. Like Dr. King, we need to brace for change, but be prepared for risks. We need to make 2010 the year in which we continue to believe in the power of our dreams, wake up to the new realities and understand the difference between promises and compromises.

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