MetroNews
T E X A S
6
DELIVERING NEWS YOU CAN USE
• Vol-10
WWW.TEXASMETRONEWS.COM
• February 24 - March 2, 2022
A 911 To DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, Jr. THE TRUTH CLINIC By James W. Breedlove Dr. King, we need you now more than ever. We need a Drum Major for peace, for justice, and for righteousness. I know you can sense my desperate plea because you are sitting on either the right or left side of the Creator at the confluence of all things past, present and future. You sit there because you committed your life to serving humanity and spreading HIS message of unconditional love. I am sure your heart grieves to see that almost five decades after you paid the ultimate price for humanity that we are still perverting the Basic Drum Major principles you taught. We as individuals and as a nation have
not listened to your admonishments but instead are preoccupied with self-aggrandizement. And as you predicted the perversion of these principles has adversely distorted both our individual and national personalities. We witness unjust actions being rationalized as necessary, anti-social behavior accepted as the norm, and immoral acts defined as corporate or political expedients. Dr. King, will you petition the Lord of Lords to consider giving you a short leave of absence so you can reincarnate among those of us in dire need of a true Drum Major? Since you departed many have tried to wear the Drum Major mantle but the difficult test of, "He who would be the greatest among you shall be your servant" has been too great a challenge. Most of the new Drum Major pretenders have so coveted hol-
ding grandiose titles, donning royal regalia, exercising the mantles of power, and associating with the rich and powerful that they neglect to serve anyone’s interests but their own. These perverted Drum Majors get great satisfaction from flaunting their snobbishness, elitism, and perceived superiority while ensconced behind psychological walls that divide us into conflicting racial, sexual, religious, political, and economic classes. Dr. King we need you to come back because your dream extended far beyond civil rights and racial equality. You had a vision of a world where all people are seen as human beings with equal access to education, employment, health care and justice, regardless of race, religion or class. We need a refresher lesson in how to combine divine love with brotherhood for all.
Askia Muhammad Officials at the station, where Muhammad, a Final Call editor, said he had given much and was always gracious and smiling. “Words are inadequate at this moment. So, we just hold onto the vibration of love, truth, perseverance, hope, and joy that Askia always exuded,” the station continued. “Let us reflect on the beautiful legacy that Askia left us and how we can collectively carry forth the impeccable vibration of his spirit.” For more than 40 years, Muhammad had been a fixture on WPFW, the Final Call, and his column appeared regularly in Black-owned newspapers like the Washington Informer. An author, Muhammad’s most recent book, “The Autobiography of Charles 67X,” featured a collection of photos, poetry, and personal essays covering his life as a politically and socially engaged journalist. When interviewed by The Final Call about the book and his start in radio, Muhammad said he didn’t have very much jazz music.
“I discovered in my limited collection that there was a recording by Charlie Parker. My name given by my mother was Charles, so I had some identification with that,” Muhammad stated. “Then I discovered that he recorded a song, his signature song, ‘Yardbird Suite.’ The ‘Yardbird Suite’ was recorded on my first birthday.” “So, I said it’s a natural. I’ll have a yard bird show, and that was it, and since I have this one double album with Charlie Parker songs, I have plenty of Bird, 27 songs on that album,” the longtime journalist reflected. “Bird” and “Yardbird” also were the nicknames of the iconic jazz composer and saxophonist. “I was able to launch a show, and that was the first song, the ‘Yardbird Suite.’ I call my show ‘Sweets’ as in candy because I didn’t want to be confused with Charlie Parker’s Yardbird Suite. So there we went, and that’s why,” he said. More than 40 years later, Muhammad’s show remained vital,
cont. from page 1
and Washington, D.C. City Council enacted a resolution commemorating that achievement. Despite his connections to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, who appeared on the show on Tuesdays, D.C. City Council recognized Mr. Muhammad even though one council member said the Minister was not welcome in D.C. “The spirit of our beloved new ancestor, Askia Muhammad, rises,” tweeted Howard University Professor Greg Carr. “He is #MaaKheru [The Voice is True]. We cherish the time he spent here in this form and in this place, finding and speaking the truth,” Carr continued. “We will keep him in our memory and lift his example to light our way.” Renowned journalist Roland Martin also paid tribute to Muhammad. “I crossed paths with Askia Muhammad many times, including having him as a guest on TV One and News One Now,” Martin wrote on Twitter. “Sorry to hear of his transition to ancestor.”
You dared to challenge the dictatorial military-industrial complex, the exploitive economics of world banking, the self-serving privileged class, and the unjust war (Vietnam) of your time. You championed the universal use of Drum Major Principles and died because of it. Today we are confronting many of the same issues you challenged. Our nation is waging unjust war against its own citizens. Yet those that would be Drum Majors have tepid tongues that vacillate with the truth to conform to the mood of prevailing polls. Dr. King, we are mired in the slime of the misguided world you warned us about 50 years ago. You said that God has a way of breaking the backbone of decadent powerful nations. And the nations of the world seem to be carrying the 20th century values of greed, selfishness, hypocrisy, and materialism into
My Truth cont. from page 1
For the record: It’s your vote even if you “don’t like politics.” Newsflash: Everything about your life is ultimately controlled or influenced by those who are elected. Maybe it’s not “politics” but petty, amateurish tactics or antics that you dislike. Which brings me to my truth. For weeks I have been writing about the importance of voting. I’ve received calls saying, “thanks!” There have also been the folks who tell me that I am wasting time, newsprint and energy. Still others have told me they are disgusted at some of the antics of folks. Now, I’ve participated in a few elections in my lifetime. I have been victorious and then other times I felt my constituents lost. I say “lost” because I know today as I knew then that I was an excellent choice although the final count did not go in my favor. Did that vote keep me from working with any of the other candidates? Not at all. I know the importance of
the 21st century. We talk peace but deliver conflict because selling fear and arms delivers huge profits. Our political, corporate and religious leaders pontificate endlessly about the need for addressing homelessness, affordable medical care, senseless killings, living wages, the justice system, election reform, the education system, and economic equity. They skillfully use high moral values as central themes in their lofty pronouncements but rarely do we see those values validated in the selfish decisions they make that continuously exploit those they should be serving. Dr. King, we need you to show these Drum Major pretenders how to be true Drum Major contenders who will make your dream a reality. Comments or opinions may be sent to the writer at: thebreed@ swbell.net
being gracious in victory and defeat and those who have not realized this have a serious character flaw. You win some. You lose some. How you react after a victory or loss can determine your future. Some people fade into oblivion, never to be heard of again. Others resurface in other election cycles. There’s always going to be another election and you can leave a taste in folks mouths that will ensure that you never get to taste victory. There are some very worthy candidates who have offered themselves up for service. Think about it and then go and vote. Because… For the record: There is going to be inclement weather somewhere this election day. Newsflash: One day you are going to need a politician to be present and accounted for on an important vote that impacts you significantly; or one day you are going to need an elected official to show up for you, and you are not going to want to hear anything about inclement weather! GO VOTE!
