"Let us not fall into the valley of despair, I tell you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that this nation will one day rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the fraternity table.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state swollen with the heat of injustice, melting with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that one day my four young children will live in a nation where they are not judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with his vicious racists, with the governor who has his lips dripping with the words "interposition" and "invalidation" - one day right there in Alabama there will be little black boys and black girls. able to team up with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley will be exalted, and every hill and mountain will be made low, the tough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." - Martin Luther King Jr. Tales
The past decade has been a testament to some of the most challenging times the world has come together to witness. Especially in the last two years, it has seen a paroxysm of resistance that has swept across six continents and engulfed both liberal democracies and brutal autocracies, but if you ask me, the thin line between the two has faded into the haze of capitalism. Movements have emerged overnight and in a short time have spread exponentially to gather global rage. From Paris and La Paz to Prague and Port-au-Prince, Beirut to Bogota and Berlin, Catalonia to Cairo, and in Hong Kong, Harare, Santiago, Sydney, Seoul, Quito, Jakarta, Tehran, Algiers, Baghdad, Budapest, London , New Delhi, Manila, Moscow, each capital city witnessed a domestic fight that emerged from a local case to become a national / international movement capable of regime change and even total political restructuring. In Sudan, an increase in the prices of bread brought people to the streets in unparalleled numbers - eventually overthrowing a dictatorship. A bill to change the extradition rules in Hong Kong turned into widespread protests against China and pro-democracy that continue to this day. An increase in fuel prices in France triggered yellow vests to demand overall reform of governance and wealth distribution. Across the Arab world, the slogan ash-sha'b yurīd isqāṭ an-niẓām (the people want to overthrow the regime) became a slogan. George Floyd's custody death caused an international declaration on the war on racism, injustice and authoritarianism. Black Life means something became an anthem the world resonated with.
Each of these movements had two things in common - unique political mobilization and the use of social media. The global inhabitants of this globalized world stood in solidarity, interconnected by several factors, but the most powerful of all was the spirit. The spirit that draws strength from the spiritual lineage that connects Jesus with Thoreau, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. These people popularized what I would call "The Common Man Phenomenon" - the recognition of the power ordinary men who work together in concert possess.
And now that a new decade has begun with the legacy of the unfinished battles that the previous decade served us, the greatest gift of the concept of mass mobilization as such as Gandhi and King have bequeathed to us is becoming more relevant than ever. 6 th day into the new year, and one of the oldest democracies in the world saw a crisis that was unique in every way when the US Capitol was stormed to turn around a legitimately democratically conducted election. The course of events that followed was straight out of a nightmare, but the people continue to have faith in the democratic institutions, and in the same light, the US Congress has made the historic decision to run for president for the second time. When we talk about the world's largest democracy, that is India, the peasants who have gathered peacefully from all corners and corners of the country to assert their democratic right to inclusion, consent and vote in the policy-making process, have shown the world the true meaning. of resilience that Gandhi preached and Martin Luther King drew inspiration from.
And today, on the occasion of Martin Luther King's Day, I can not help but go back to the "March on Washington" moment in 1963, where he told the world about his "dream" and more importantly, told the people that they could " dream". In the words of Barrack Obama:"If anyone had the right to question whether our democracy was worth redeeming, it was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For in meeting with car clubs and lynchings, poll taxes and literacy tests, he never gave in violence, never waving a treacherous flag, never giving up the land he called home, despite all the injustices and indignations it brought upon him. " The approach to peaceful resistance, civil disobedience and non-violence he adopted can be seen among protesters around the world who have repeated songs of renaissance, revolution and freedom in the hope that they will surely reap the fruits of change one day.
Martin Luther King Jr - A Tribute
" I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the last word in reality. This is why justice, temporarily defeated, is stronger than the evil that prevails."
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a social activist and Baptist minister who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination attempt in 1968. Born into an educated family imbued with the tradition of the Southern Black ministry, with a secure background, Martin Luther King had a solid educational foundation while growing up. However, these privileges could not shield him from the episodes of racism and segregation he had to face even at the age of six when his white playmates refused to play with him. With age, discrimination increased, as was quite common in the south. A summer away on a tobacco farm in Connecticut, however, revealed to him a society that knew no difference, and whites and Negroes did everything alike. This new knowledge of such an egalitarian existence brought with it the recognition of humiliation that the segregated society felt. Thus began the endless struggle to end the racial injustice he and his society faced and culminated in one of the greatest civil rights movements the world has seen, a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and an extremely heartbreaking assassination attempt on the hands of a white racist. King sought equality and human rights for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged and all victims of injustice through peaceful protests. He was the driving force behind watershed incidents such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1963 March on Washington, which helped bring about landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.
Resistance movements in the 21st century
the 21st st century, and especially the last decade, has seen uprisings around the world. From the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters to millions around the world marching against climate change to the unique protests in Hong Kong, it was the "pushback" decade. Millions took to the streets against Chilean President Piñera and millions marched to protest China's treatment of Uighur Muslims. Dalits and peasants marched, women marched, Muslims marched, gays and students marched. Most were peaceful, but some crossed the thin line that demarcated a protest against what the state describes as extremism and vandalism. According to King and others, every time the protesters started violence, they lost legitimacy in the eyes of the public. While I certainly condemn it later where violence is involved, I will praise the spirit of those who have carried the flag of resistance and resilience in the face of extreme adversity and oppression, and constantly committed to the ideals of non-violence and peace. Here when I say "Not violent", it means that the movement does not initiate or threaten violence. However, there is no guarantee that the violence will not be initiated by the state. This last decade can be called the "decade of resistance". Erica Chenoweth, a professor of human rights and international relations at Harvard Kennedy School, uses the term "resistance" to each other with non-violent mass action or "weapons resurrection." According to her, the core principle of Civil Resistance Theory is - citizens who work together in interaction have more freedom of action than they think. "And to help this extraordinary mobilization, social media has played the role of an explosive catalyst. From Facebook pages to moving to more secure encrypted platforms like Signal, Telegram etc, social media has definitely made it easier to communicate. and #Black Life Means Something so participants cut across politics, age, culture and regions to come together as one entity. However, social media is not without its flaws. The biggest challenge facing the movement today is the lack of coherent leadership. Everyone wants a piece for themselves, and that is when fragmentation is inevitable. Second, the amount of information, false for the most part, that is thrown at users is overwhelming and it becomes impossible to distinguish right from wrong. Therefore, today more than ever, one must be careful with one's core demands and ideologies, since it is very easy to be influenced by destructive and disruptive factions that are constantly working to push predefined and motivated agendas through these mass mobilizations.
Here is a brief overview of some of the resistance movements that this decade came face to face.
- Arabic Spring - What started in 2010 as protests in Tunisia against poverty and an oppressive regime soon spread like wildfire in large parts of West Asia to encircle Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. Suddenly there were street demonstrations, riots and popular uprisings. Authorities blamed the rapid spread of protests on social media and closed the connection in many places. Another wave hit the Middle East in 2018, and countries continue to be unstable with their political future in gloom.
- Hong Kong - What started as a series of largely peaceful rallies against a highly controversial body of law, was quickly transformed into a full-fledged pro-democracy movement, accusing Beijing of excessive interference in Hong Kong's affairs and fundamental violations of its already limited sovereignty.
- Extinction Rebellion (XR) -It is a socio-political protest movement centered around environmental issues that was created in the UK in May 2018. It uses non-violent acts and civil disobedience methods to emphasize the message of climate change and the tragic loss of biodiversity on earth.
- LATIN AMERICA AND VIRAL DOMINO EFFECT - Latin America has a rich history of civil unrest and the recent economic downturn, inflation and unemployment, as well as widespread corruption, are the main motivators for the demonstrations. Although the initial triggers of the demonstration varied from country to country, ranging from a trip to Chile's subway prices to a revolt against Evo Morals' attempt to retain power in Bolivia, the underlying theme is general dissatisfaction with government performance.>
- IRAN - The recent protests in Iran represent a strong reminder of what can happen when a country shuts down communications completely. In November 2019, when civil unrest broke out due to cuts in fuel subsidies, the Iranian government deliberately interrupted the internet service before attacking the protesters. According to a report by Amnesty International, at least 304 people were killed and security forces were described as shooting at protesters who "posed no imminent risk". Thousands were also arbitrarily arrested. The
- Greta Thunberg Movement -In August 2018, a 15-year-old Swedish schoolgirl stood outside the country's parliament with a poster that said "School strike for the climate". Over the course of a year, her lone protest galvanized millions around the world to take to the streets to demand action against one of the greatest disasters of our time:climate change. 'Climate attacks' - by young and old - broke out all over the world. Speaking to world leaders at the UN climate summit, Thunberg roared:"We are at the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and adventure about eternal economic growth. How do you watch! "
- India - With an increased "nationalist" fervor, and what some describe as masculine "democratic relapse", India has had its share of protests. These "Dharna" come from the land of Gandhi, the father of civil disobedience and non-violence, and hardly come as a surprise. India is a country whose creation rests on a strong foundation of protests, mass demonstrations and democratic ideals. It was only a matter of time before people rose up to claim what was rightfully theirs, the power to decide their own destiny. But all in peace !!
- #I too :The term 'MeToo' was first used on social media by Tarana Burke when she wrote about the sexual harassment she had been subjected to. But it was only when more accusations surfaced against Hollywood filmmaker Harvey Weinstein that #MeToo became a viral, global trend as more and more women began to put #MeToo as a status on social media to show how widespread the threat of sexual harassment in the workplace our. This led to extensive discussions across nations, forcing institutions and companies to take sexual harassment seriously and establish mechanisms for redress and redress. Starting with showbiz and media, the movement spread to other industries, including music, sports, law, politics, and advertising.