Jon Duncan Stirling,
Alberta, Canada
I am responding to one of the comments made by the faculty advisor for BYU’s Black Student Union, as contained in your article regarding the upcoming candlelight march.
First let me say that I fully support the idea of a candlelight march in commemoration of Martin Luther King. Though I am not an American, in my view, Dr. King is one of the most important figures in modern world history and though his life was not perfect, his cause was just. Regardless of our nationality, therefore, he deserves our respect and honor.
Specifically, I question the statement which read as follows: “Until you feel what it’s like to be truly discriminated against, you can’t ‘fight for the cause,’ even if you are willing to do so.” To say this implies that those who have not suffered the effects of racism cannot do anything to alleviate the pain of those who do. This is nonsense. It overlooks the fact that many who have not suffered from the effects of discrimination or racism have fully supported and even worked for the benefit of those who have suffered.
For these words to be true, we would need to argue that only those who have suffered from the effects of racism have made any difference in terms of improving race relations. But the fact is that there are many men and women who have not suffered from racism but have made a positive contribution to the civil rights movement. One important example is President Lyndon B. Johnson, who pushed much of the civil rights legislation through Congress. We cannot say that he was simply a pawn of Martin Luther King or Malcolm X or other well-known leaders of the civil rights movement. He too recognized the problem, and he used his presidential influence for the good of all Americans. Of course, he did not accomplish his task alone, nor did his administration solve every problem, but his policies were a significant step forward.
If we honor Dr. King, we should also honor Lyndon B. Johnson. Even though he was in no way a victim of racism and discrimination in its many forms. He attempted to help those who did suffer. Now I recognize the possibility that I may have taken the advisor’s comments out of context. I also realize that they serve as a important rallying cry for those who suffer from racism or discrimination. But please remember that many of us who do not fit in the category of “discriminated against” are involved in the same “cause” and that we too make a difference, whether we are acquainted with discrimination or not. We too want an end to discrimination based gender or the color of one’s skin, and even if we do not march, our attitudes regarding discrimination and our willingness to support and sustain those who do march will go a long way towards solving this social ill.
In fact, the necessary key to change really has nothing to do with whether one suffers from discrimination or not. In reality it requires cooperation and support from those who desire change, no matter what their background. To succeed, those who have suffered and those who have not must work together. Only then will the problem have a solution.
