Getting Jiggy for MLK

(Originally Posted January 15th, 2007)

Yes, that was the caption for the CNN coverage of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday celebrations for 2007.

But wait until I tell you what ELSE was going on while they showed that caption…a little background story for you first.

As we all know, one of our GREATEST Civil Rights leaders would have celebrated his 78th birthday today had it not been for a fateful shot on April 4th, 1968 in Memphis, TN. Every year during this extremely frigid month, we celebrate his life, his legacy, his contributions, his struggles, his words, his incarcerations, his fight, and his death. We all know his life and his story, so there is no need to go into that at this moment, he was the only black man next to George Washington Carver and W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington that we learned about in school (if we were lucking to learn about them). For years we fought to make this day a national holiday, and after decades of fighting, it finally became one, giving us a day off but also pushing us to have a "Day On."

Many schools, federal institutions, and other businesses were closed today to pay respect to a man that gave us so much when we had so little. Even today, despite how clichéd his words "free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last" are, they still bring tears to the eyes of those few remaining monarchs and elders who witnessed those words and felt the pain and wanting and hopefulness that he exuded first hand when they flowed from his mouth. To sit and watch his sister reintroduce us to his dream in her 45 second snippet on CNN made many of us hopeful and optimistic that that day has arrived. Seeing Martin and Coretta's names on that cold marble that displayed their final resting places made me think that his life and hers weren't given to us in vain. Those images made me almost believe that we were free from racism, segregation, black face, and ignorance; not only from whites, but also from blacks.

Then, they got jiggy for MLK.

Even though I HAD to go to work today, I would have made today a "Day On" because MLK fought too hard and gave up too much for me to not be able to work at that Fortune 300 company with my degree from a northern academic institution. As I took my break, I went to the cafeteria to get a soda, and saw the MLK day celebrations. I saw his sister, his daughter, a senator, and a mayor. Then came the HBCU's.

Of course, we all know that the best part of half time at an HBCU football game is the battle of the bands. To see these bands play old favorites and new tunes while dancing in truly rhythmic formation brings excitement to all who watch it. I'm even sure that MLK enjoyed watching it when he still graced his presence on this earth. However, I'm PRETTY DAMN SURE that he wouldn't have been too happy with what was displayed today.

CNN is usually a good source for news. World, national, local…it is pretty much there. Now, I don't watch CNN very often but I don't think I will anymore. As the marching bands were playing and performing, the caption said: "Getting jiggy for MLK." What does getting jiggy have to do with MLK's passing and his legacy? Why did they have to say getting jiggy? I mean, I'm sure that Will Smith is glad that he got a little pub with that particular quote, but to get jiggy is just as bad as saying shucking and jiving for MLK. (At least in my book.)

Now, seeing this type of blatant racism from a white media institution doesn't disturb me as much as what the bands were doing. I can pretty much expect that from CNN, despite what anybody says, there is still a drastic and vast difference between the way that they (the media) portrays whites and African Americans on television, the radio, and in print. The disturbing part about that was the bands were playing "Walk it Out" while bumping, grinding, shaking, gyrating, and a whole bunch of other things that really made my stomach turn. I've never been a fan of down south rap, and this is probably the reason why. The way Dr. King fought for our freedoms, our chances to sit anywhere on the bus, to have our own schools (as well as W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington and many other African Americans), to get as much education as we possibly could; should not have been celebrated with a girl with half her ass out shaking what her momma gave her to "Walk it Out."

As I watched that, I saw that it took us back almost 100 years to the shucking and jiving of Amos and Andy, sambos, black face cartoons, Buckwheat, pickinnies, and the lot. Even though I am supportive of us expressing ourselves in anyway that makes us feel good (even if I don't agree with it), the songs and dances that were filmed in the name of MLK underneath the caption of Getting Jiggy for MLK disgraced his honor, legacy, fight, and death. As well as the honors, legacies, fights, trials and tribulations of Malcolm X a.k.a. El Hajj Malik Shabazz, Ida B. Wells, Zora Neal Hurston, Toni Morrison, Thurgood Marshall, Charles Hamilton Houston, Marcus Garvey, Lorraine Hansberry, Maya Angelou, Sista Rosa, Sista Coretta, Sista Betty, Angela Davis, Alice Walker, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, and so many others.

I wonder what did they think of today's celebration. I wonder were they embarrassed. Or if they were pissed off. Maybe they were irritated. Possibly stunned. Did they cry? Did they pray? Did they just stare in amazement at the actions and "celebrations" of a life so important in our history? What can we look forward to?

Maybe, for Malcolm X's birthday, we can do the chicken noodle soup dance and have a soda on the side for his celebration. Or, we can rock wit it lean wit it when we celebrate Carter G. Woodson's birthday. How about this?! For Black History Month, we can all wear the chicken head hair styles, dye a picture of a Kool-Aid package in the back, and get gold fronts with Black History in the upper and lower grills?! With diamond spinners in them!!! Nelly could sing the new African American national anthem: "Lemme see yo grillz." Maybe we can get Rev. Al Sharpton to put some extra finger waves in his hair, put on a green and gold suit and have a duet with Magic Bishop Don Juan singing a song: "Green is for the money that we should have made as slaves and gold of for the honey of the land with milk where we should wade." That would be hot…

Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe I shouldn't be so offended by what I saw on television today. The caption DID use a song sung by an African American. I guess MLK should be able to get jiggy too. I mean, "Walk it Out" could be an ode to the March on Washington that King led. And maybe the outfits and the dancing were REALLY a tribute to Josephine Baker and her struggle as a performer here and in Europe.

Well, I guess I should be anticipating Black History month instead of sobbing over today. I gotta go holla at Nelly and Paul Wall about some grillz…