By Gabriella Brown
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
Marjorie Fuller was just 10 years old when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
Fuller, director of the WVU Center for Black Culture and Research, was too young at the time to participate in the civil rights movement but remembers the shock waves his death sent throughout her family, the nation and the world.
“I remember the grief when he was killed,” she said. “I remember the conversations that were had in my household about his death, and I remember the funeral.”
Today, on the federal holiday bearing his name, the United States honors the influential civil rights leader from Atlanta. And over half a century since his assassination, people continue to fight to make his dream a reality.
While movements such as Black Lives Matter represent the battle for similar freedoms, many of the goals and changes people hope to see have evolved over time.
“Black people were basically fighting for basic life freedoms during Dr. King’s time, and there was an acknowledgement that there needed to be a change in the way that people thought,” Fuller said. “The freedoms that Black people are really fighting for now are those more unspoken and non-tangibles.”
To represent the difference between the physical freedoms and the unspoken ones, Fuller pointed out several examples, such as how during the civil rights movement era, African Americans were barred from living in certain neighborhoods or purchasing certain homes.
Those limitations today come in the form of less out-in-the-open actions, such as discriminatory lending practices, which may prevent a person of color from receiving a mortgage loan or may cause them to be charged steeper rates.
Fuller said although there is still work to be done, many of the positive changes and freedoms enjoyed by all today are because of the foundation created by the events of the civil rights movement.
“It may not be history that is that old, but it is our history,” Fuller said. “It is American history, and it deserves to be remembered and the people who were a part of it deserve to be celebrated just like any other American hero.”
James Goins Jr., WVU director of equity assurance and Title IX coordinator, said there is still much progress to be made in order to achieve the goals the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. set out to accomplish. He said the way to create significant change is to confront the past and develop an understanding of the inequalities African Americans face today.
Goins said he acknowledges many positive and significant changes have been made; however, remnants of the issues Martin Luther King Jr. hoped to change can still be seen.
“His dream has yet to be completely fulfilled, that all men are created equal, like the Constitution said. That people be judged by the content of their character,” Goins said. “That is not what we see in the national news or in the media today.”
Fuller hopes to continue to see changes involving equitable treatment in areas such as employment, and within the justice and healthcare systems.
“I think these young people are protesting today not only for their own futures, but for the futures of their children,” Fuller said. “They know they have to make a change just like our parents did for us, just like we did for our children.”
Through celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day year after year, Goins said it allows the leader’s legacy to live on. He said until Kng’s vision is fully accomplished, it is vital to keep his dream alive.
“Until we achieve that dream and until we reach that goal, then we have unfinished business here,” Goins said.
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