"I used a restroom in a public building that had ethnic slurs and violent hate speech carved into the wall, including threats to murder Latina/o people. ..."
OPINION
January 23, 2009
Martin Luther King Jr., Day has come and gone.
Even as Gaza bleeds, police kill unarmed people of color in U.S. cities, and our communities are torn apart by immigration raids, many believe King's dream has been realized.
On the morning of Jan. 19, I used a restroom in a public building that had ethnic slurs and violent hate speech carved into the wall, including threats to murder Latina/o people.
We are far from realizing any part of King's vision, including creating a world free of racism and white supremacy.
The message etched in the restroom was a glaring reminder of the mentality of some who live in our communities. While it's terrible that individuals hold such hateful perspectives, it's really disgusting that this view is reinforced by wider social and political norms.
The United States maintains policies that embody the racist worldview communicated in the hate speech in that bathroom stall.
Whether it's "free" trade policies directed at the global south or the more overt imperialism of invasion and occupation of Arabic people, the U.S. government maintains the oppression of other people and cultures around the world - and here at home. We have to look no further than the nearest ICE raid or prison to realize this intimately affects our local communities.
We should honor King by remembering the full scope of his vision - a dream that challenges racism, patriarchy, militarism, capitalism and other forms of domination - and by realizing that the struggle is far from over.
Matt Lawrence,
Fort Collins
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