Op-Ed: Hermosa Should 'Fight For The Dream'

Saturday marks the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's iconic "I Have A Dream" speech. In remembrance, we should stop and take a moment to honor the compelling message of hope that he gave to us all.

To Dr. King, racial equality was just part of the inspired and virtuous future he envisioned for our nation. He also dreamt of a society where economic fairness would become part of the essential fabric of our democracy.

Dr. King's stirring and inspirational words allowed every man, woman and child to visualize their deserved place in the sun, a society of inclusion without the divisions of class.

At this time, I can't help but take note, though, of the irony in the extensive coverage Patch has given to the South Bay Tea Party convention this past week, a political movement predicated upon being divisive. Patch could have been focusing on much more meaningful messages, such as the one behind Dr. King — one of inclusion and tolerance.

Why do I suggest that the Tea Party as a whole is divisive and not inclusive? Let's look at a disturbing New York Times/CBS News poll of Tea Party members from April 14.

It found that Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be white, male and are more likely than the general public to think that President Obama favors blacks over whites. The poll also found that they were more likely than the general public to say that too much has been made of the problems facing black America.

Sixty-four percent of the respondents also believed that President Obama has increased taxes for most Americans, despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans received a tax cut under the Obama administration.

Facts are a terrible thing to some. But what would one expect from a group where a majority of those polled considered "shows hosted by people like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity" to be news rather than entertainment?

Tea Partiers were also more likely to believe that President Obama was born in another country and, astoundingly, were also more likely to believe that "violence against the government is sometimes justified."

The local South Bay Tea Party seems to be just as divisive and intolerant. Yvonne Haley of Redondo Beach said this before the recent Tea Party convention here in the South Bay: "I think the President might be a Muslim and that frightens me." 

"No, I don't," she replied when asked if she felt safe in our country. "I got on a flight in Denver, coming back from Los Angeles, and there was some 6-foot-5, looked like Pakistani, who didn't speak English checking my driver's license and my ID. I almost fainted."

That is hardly an inclusive and tolerant perspective to say the least, and a far cry from the empowering, peaceful message of Dr. King.

Today, the reality is that the goals of equality, ending poverty, and economic disparity that Dr. King eloquently articulated have still not been achieved. Not just racially and politically, but there are still formidable obstacles built upon foundations of avarice and greed standing in the way, and a growing economic chasm that prevents millions of Americans from being able to realize his dream.

During the last few years of his life, Dr. King worked tirelessly to engage the rich and the powerful on economic issues, and to help the disadvantaged and poor fight for an economic bill of rights.

"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial," Dr. King said. "It comes to see that an edifice, which produces beggars, needs restructuring."

Dr. King was right.

Our system needs restructuring, which today's economy and uneven playing field that enables the greed and predatory practices of powerful corporations illustrates.

Let's help make Dr. King's dream of economic fairness a reality by not letting the powerful corporate elitists and the laws that enable them go unchallenged.

Together, we can all make a difference and do something substantive to affect change in this country and help Dr. Martin Luther King realize the dream he articulated in his speech on August 28, 1963.

"Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California," he said.

John Ehrenfeld is a 16-year Hermosa Beach resident who is an executive producer in the commercial film production industry, a photographer and a political writer with a great interest in social justice.