The struggle for human justice is one that is as old as the history of
mankind. One wonders, as perhaps human beings have always wondered,
about what appears to be the problematic associated with the acquisition
of justice and its elusiveness. Why is something so good for everyone so
difficult to realize, practice, and to sustain?
The value that is inherent in justice is deliberately posed here as a
very simple proposition. Some would contend that to do so is an
oversimplification. These would offer that the proposition is shrouded
in human complexities and demand further explanation. The only response
we would choose to make to these disciplined and learned observers is to
hold forth our Christ-filled belief in the power of love, our belief,
taken from His teachings, which tells us that those who seek and
practice love will transcend the problematic.
Complex or no, the well being of the human family is very much dependent
on the pursuit and acquisition of the benefits that justice offers. The
experience of life would otherwise have little meaning and the human
family would find itself confronted, as social scientists refer to it,
by the vicissitudes of the State of Nature. Our Christian faith informs
us that our Heavenly Father is a Just God and that we are made in His
Image and Likeness. Therefore, the logic of faith commands us to live
just lives, to practice justice in all we say and do.
The pursuit of justice by Americans of African ancestry in the US
Diaspora has been a long, often perilous, and always an enduring
journey. Obstacles notwithstanding as Dr. King demonstrated, the journey
must be made. He too believed that through love, the victims and
perpetrators of injustice are reconciled, and that love will vanquish
injustice and enable justice in society to obtain. As water seeks and
finds its level, so will love seek and find justice.
The US Constitution, with its mid-nineteen century amendments,
represented, formally, a more egalitarian social contract for all its
citizens. At least that was the hope with the passage of the 13th
Amendment, (Abolition of Slavery), the 14th Amendment, (Citizenship for
Former Slaves, etc.) and the 15th Amendment, (The Franchise for Former
Slaves). Unfortunately for all, by the first decade of the 20th Century,
the former Slaves were stripped of the rights and privileges that were
attached to these Constitutional Amendments. The absence of Christ Love
won the temporary battle for the next sixty years. Final victory,
however, is always the inexorable object of the practice of justice and
love, and so those seeking justice during this period, as well as their
heirs, again found themselves on the winning side, enjoying the joy of
human fulfillment that Christ's Love brings to the human heart.
Dr. King's involvement in the Contemporary Civil Rights Movement was
indeed linked to that longstanding universal quest for human justice.
His connection was quintessential for the deeper appreciation, if not
full practice, of justice and equality for Blacks in the US, as well as
for all members of the human family. His witness was universally
successful because it was empowered and driven by the nature and force
of love.
The graphic rendering for 2004 Atlanta Archdiocesan Martin Luther King,
Jr. Celebration is the creation of Byron Wilson of Rooted Visual
Communications, and a Parishioner of St. Anthony's Catholic Church. The
original poster uses the colors red, white and blue, as well as those of
red black and green to call to mind Dr. King's witness of peace and
justice and our obligations as practicing heirs of these principles.
Though the poster is in black and white for the purposes of the
Congress' newsletter, we ask the readers to imagine the original colors,
as described above.
We believe that this colorful artistic depiction of the transformational
power of love is revealingly inspirational. He takes the theme for the
M. L. King, Jr. Celebration, Until Injustice is Conquered by Love, and
states emphatically and creatively in words our belief in the power of
love. This belief is further underscored by the heart symbol, the
universal symbol of love. The red white and blue colors remind us that
the realization of the democratic principles of our nation is inherently
bound to the necessary enduring struggle for justice. The red, black,
and green colors are meant to remind us, the descendents of Slaves, that
it is our time to carry the torch for justice, for social and economic
betterment. We would honor Dr. King and all those who struggled before
us, most especially the ones who gave their lives for justice sake, by
exercising the hard-won franchise this presidential election year and
each time the opportunity to vote presents itself.
By Charles O. Prejean, Sr.
Director, Office for Black Catholic Ministry
Archdiocese of Atlanta.
