The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once confessed to Harry Belafonte that he feared Black Americans were "integrating into a burning house," or a nation losing its moral vision, according to the late New York singer and activist.
The problem, Belafonte said, required everyday Americans to “become the firemen.”
That message is at the heart of “A Burning House – MLK and the American Experiment,” a free event taking place at the Apollo Theater on Sunday to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The annual tribute presented by WNYC and the Apollo will be livestreamed and will feature performances and discussions featuring artists, scholars and religious leaders seeking to “explore the complexities of belonging, justice, and collective responsibility in our contemporary moment.”
The event takes place a day before the official observance of the national holiday, which coincides with President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.
The panelists include Jonathan McCrory, the artistic director of the National Black Theatre. In an interview, McCorty said King's teachings, as well as those of Mohandas Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, required that activism be “rooted in the present.”
“How are you going to be critically present in this moment?” McCrory said. “How are you going to not hide in this moment?”
Jeanne Theoharis, distinguished professor of political science at Brooklyn College and the author of an upcoming book, “King of the North: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Life of Struggle Outside the South,” is also part of the program. She said King's focus on "Northern injustice" and local manifestations of racism was an overlooked aspect of his legacy.
“So when Gov. Hochul and Mayor Adams commit more and more funding to policing, taking money away from housing, schools, and health, that, too, is a burning house,” said Theoharis in an email.
Theoharis said King “believed in disruptive tactics, from rent strikes to school boycotts to disrupting city life,” and said the civil rights leader was critical of those who felt such actions were inappropriate.
Rashad Robinson, an activist who until recently served as president of Color of Change, which bills itself as the nation’s largest online racial justice group, said King’s messages on the problem of philanthropy and volunteerism resonated with him.
Both, he said, can allow people to focus on the problem without “dealing with the root cause.”
“There's nothing wrong with volunteerism,” said Robinson, “but charitable solutions over structural problems is one of the clearest ways to mute the voices and the demands of oppressed people.”
But Robinson said what’s most important is that individuals ultimately commit to “make an impact on the world around us.”
“ Even as the hill may seem really steep,” said Robinson, “we don't get to the top of it unless we put one foot in front of the next.”
