There are two dates on the calendar that I can reliably expect calls to deliver my meager insights: Black History Month and Rev. Martin Luther King’s national holiday.
Both opportunities this year came with an appearance on Jeff Santos’ radio show sharing the airwaves with Mel Poindexter, a prominent political stalwart in Massachusetts, and earlier on Rev. Dennis Dillon’s Zoom presentation. Each was very rewarding.
Mr. Poindexter and I agreed that we need to return to those days when we had boots on the ground to address the various issues that threatened our democratic rights. His words of wisdom coincided perfectly with those of Derrick Johnson, current NAACP president and CEO, whom Mel served with as vice president in Massachusetts, on the predicament that Donald Trump has dumped on us and the rest of the world.
My session with Rev. Dillon was joined by some 70 other participants, but the good minister allowed me special space to lead the discussion. Of considerable concern to Dillon was the impact the Trump administration is having on Majority World countries, particularly Nigeria and South Africa.
This is nothing new to our readers here, since we have delved into them on a number of occasions. What Rev. Dillon and Mr. Poindexter have in common is a genuine passion for correcting the indignities inflicted on marginalized communities, both in the United States and abroad.
We all agreed that we shouldn’t have to wait for special moments of the year to share our views, and we promised to find ways to continue our discussions and to at least stay in touch during these tough times. Commemorating and celebrating the legacy of Dr. King is dutiful, but more important is not waiting to communicate, galvanize, and share our energy throughout the year.