Artificial Sweetener or Raw Change?
Black activist Dr. Nyle Fort and two students from Western Reserve Academy speak on the misconceptions with MLK Day and the problems with attempting to justify racism.
Gunshots. For that one moment, the world was silent. The man behind the progress, the man who had changed the world, was gone in an instant. How will the world move forward without Dr. Martin Luther King Jr?
The presence of Dr. Nyle Fort on the Western Reserve Academy campus confirmed the fact that the response to racism in the United States elicits many different reactions. Many people ask the question, “Why are you bringing up old news?” instead of, “How should we deal with racism?”
A majority of people in the United States know who Martin Luther King Jr. is and they vaguely know what he stood for: equality for all people. However, they do not know the specifics. There were many other Black activists who also fought for fair treatment of African Americans. So what was different about Martin Luther King Jr?
Martin Luther King Day, in particular, is a national holiday that is viewed the wrong way, even with all of the emotional baggage that is attached. To some, it is seen as just a day off and to others, they simply do not understand how MLK is significant in the way the world is today. They see him as a historical figure who is only celebrated during a specific time of the year.
When asking Dr. Nyle Fort how he thinks the USA interprets MLK day, he responded, “I think one of the misconceptions or one of the ways that we shouldn’t practice MLK day is just by community service. Dr. King’s legacy is not based on community service; it’s about social justice. He wasn’t killed because he worked at a soup kitchen or planted a flower. He was killed because he believed in social justice.”
What does this tell us about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King? More importantly, what does this tell us about every single African American person who has ever stood up for something? Why are they only commemorated during Black History Month?
Isabella Haslinger Johnson ‘25, a white WRA student, was asked the same question, to which she responded, “People do find ways of taking the blame off of themselves rather than truly recognizing the racism plaguing this country. However, I think that there are also people with a real desire to make change, and I would hope that my generation can be better about not simply appeasing others or improving their perception of themselves.”
The problem has been identified, but there is a major challenge in attempting to rally people to find a solution. Dr. Fort, as an activist, has faced this problem frequently, and he concluded, “I think you have to be honest about the cruelty of the world, so that we can then fight for the beauty of it. Because why would you tell people to fight if they don’t know what they’re fighting against?”
While some people are bystanders or outsiders, there are also people who have fully involved themselves in the fight for change. This is evident through the many Black Lives Matter protests, the social justice movements, and the integration of the Slavery and Social Justice movements. Dr. King was an advocate for pursuing justice in nonviolent, but impactful ways.
Oba Osunmakinde, an active member of the WRA African American community at WRA spoke on that, mentioning, “MLK inspires me because we’re seeing how someone who was so dedicated to justice and activism received results by doing it in some of the most passive ways.”
That is one of the many reasons why Black advocacy made such a difference, because many of the biggest game-changers like Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus, fought against racism in the smallest and most peace-inducing ways.
The burden of racism has been lessened over the years, as the world’s overall fight for justice has started to oversee the progress that has been made. Many companies, schools, and organizations have added a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to their “roster,” so that all diverse groups can be treated and served in the same way. Osunmakinde added to that, “More action has been taken with racism in public places, such as more people of color in power and authority as well as the enforcing of [anti-discrimination] rules in public places. That makes it easier for people of color to gain opportunity.”
Many people of color at WRA experience racism too, however, in the past couple of years, changes have been made to lessen its effects on people. “Many institutions, including WRA, have opened discussions that acknowledge history rather than merely disregarding the uncomfortable aspects of it. Honest discussions and willingness to acknowledge the past are important, and I think certain cultural changes have allowed more people to become open-minded about the problem,” replied Haslinger-Johnson. If people who are not making or receiving racial comments can see the impact that it has, how do the people who are knee-deep in it feel?
There are so many important reasons to celebrate Black activism, not just during Black History Month, but all year round. Today, the monumentalization of the African-American fight for freedom might be just on the surface, but people are beginning to dig deeper to explore new possibilities for change.
– Sehar Mahesh ’25
The Reserve Record 