4/4/1968: Where is the Change?

By Jake Lankford. Written on April 4, 2022.

On April 4th, 1968, 54 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel here in Memphis. A question thus arises, how do we commemorate and view this day when compared to MLK’s birthday in January? How are we supposed to view the day when an important figure in the Civil Rights Movement was shot and killed?

Looking back and looking forward is how this day has been traditionally commemorated in American history, but where is the action, the change? All that has been seen are reiterations of MLK’s message, promises that something will be done… and yet, the status quo remains intact.

We can look back to how things were back then and compare our modern era favorably to how bleak the 20th century was, but there are still things today that need to be addressed, such as police brutality and blatant racism coming from the more radicalized, Trump-infected Republican party.

Looking forward with ambitions of change has been another response on April 4th, how can we make America better for our future children? Again, more words, recycling and promises of change, but very little has been done.

We can look back and look forward all we want, we can do some introspection and soul-searching, but in the end, it means absolutely nothing without the change to accompany it. April 4th shouldn’t just be a day of remembrance, it should be a day where people demand change, and don’t stop until it has been done.