Pope.L obituary

One morning in 1978, passersby along the less salubrious end of West 42nd Street in New York were met with a curious sight. A young man dressed smartly in a pinstripe suit fell to his hands and knees and began to crawl along the dirty pavement, not letting up until he reached Times Square.

It was the first of more than 30 “crawls” by the artist Pope.L, who has died unexpectedly aged 68. In a city beset with homelessness, it was an act of solidarity to lose his “verticality”, the artist said, the suit a symbol of power. “We’d gotten used to people begging, and I was wondering, how can I renew this conflict? I don’t want to get used to seeing this. I wanted people to have this reminder.”

Other performances by the African-American artist were more overt in their approach to race and economics. In a summer-long series of works in 1991, collectively and provocatively titled How Much Is That Nigger in the Window, he set up a street stand to sell aspirin for $100 a pill, or approached motorists stopped at traffic lights to offer them a free dollar bill rather than forcing a windscreen wash upon them. With these acts Pope.L sought to explore race as a “social construct that exists around the body, the invisible padding that affects the way you move through space”.

Pope.L in front of his paintings at Modern Art gallery, London, in 2021.
Pope.L in front of his paintings at Modern Art gallery, London, in 2021. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

In the same year, the artist appeared in the glass window of the New York art space Franklin Furnace, smearing mayonnaise over his near naked body to “white up”, an effect that lasted until the sauce went rancid and transparent.

“I realised that for a lot of white people, mostly white people, their experience of race is personal. I’ve never thought of my experience of race as just mine … Within the mythology of race – it is all mythology, right – they, white people, are separate and apart from the coding of colour.”

Other public performances, documented but often unannounced, included White Baby (2001), when he crawled with a white baby doll in his mouth through a major park of Tokyo, and, most famously, The Great White Way (2001–09), in which, over a period of nine years, the artist crawled the 22 miles of Broadway in a cheap Superman outfit.

These works, in equal measure political and surreal, and made at great risk of injury, violence and arrest, were born out of a lack of money. “I wanted to find a way of doing anything I wanted that didn’t need anyone to support it,” Pope.L told the Guardian in 2021. “I didn’t need a room and I didn’t need objects. I just needed the opportunity, which I could create myself.”

Pope.L. Eating the Wall Street Journal (Flag Version) in 1991.
Pope.L Eating the Wall Street Journal (Flag Version) in 1991. Photograph: Pope.L

In 2000 he performed Eating the Wall Street Journal wearing just a jockstrap and covered in flour. Sat on a toilet seat perched on top of a precarious tower of furniture and broken wood he slowly consumed the newspaper, a talisman for wealth. The structure itself, now dilapidated and painted a ghostly white, is currently on show at his exhibition, Hospital, at South London Gallery. In this iteration he was, he said, “thinking about my own body, the bodies of people I care for, and bodies that may not be there in the future”.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, he was the son of Lucille Lancaster, a nurse, and William Pope, who soon disappeared from his life. His artist moniker, initially William Pope.L until he dropped his first name in 2012, combined his parents’ surnames. “My family was very poetic. We would be hanging out on a Sunday and my uncle and my aunt would come over and we would be in the kitchen and they would start throwing about poetry from Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks,” he recalled.

His grandmother Desma Lancaster, who worked as a cleaner, was an artist whose quilt pieces were shown at the Studio Museum in Harlem in the 60s.

Rebus by Pope.L (2017-18)
Rebus by Pope.L (2017-18). Photograph: James Prinz Photography/© Pope.L Courtesy of the artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York

Despite this milieu, there were limited prospects for the boy, who was expected to enter the military. “I realised that my family, even with those Sunday mornings, were all people who struggled. All the people in that kitchen were damaged, drug-addict people.”

However Desma, who looked after him during his mother’s bouts of addiction and hospitalisation, had other ideas, and encouraged his creative spirit. He enrolled first at the Pratt Institute, in Brooklyn, New York, in 1973, but dropped out for lack of funds. After a few years holding down factory jobs, he got into the public Montclair State University in New Jersey, where he was studying when he performed his first crawl, graduating in 1978.

He also took classes at the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program and the Mabou Mines theatre company in New York, and gained a master’s at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Jersey in 1981. In 1990 he started teaching at Bates College in Maine, staying there until 2010. More recently he taught at the University of Chicago.

His first solo show was at Franklin Furnace in 1991 and he exhibited consistently but in low-profile spaces for a decade until he was featured in the Whitney Biennial in 2002. A retrospective exhibition opened in 2004 at Rutgers University and toured the US. His work featured again in the Whitney Biennial in 2017, and that year he also participated in Documenta 14. Two years later he was the subject of three concurrent, complementary New York exhibitions, at MoMA, the Whitney and Public Art Fund. In London, his work was shown in Notations, Holes and Humour at Modern Art in 2021.

He is survived by his partner, Mami Takahashi, son, Desmond, and brother, Eugene.

Pope.L (William Pope), artist, born 28 June 1955; died 23 December 2023

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Brazil drag queen fights hate with children’s stories

SAO PAULO: Wearing heavy makeup and a fuchsia wig, Brazilian drag queen Helena Black is acting out a story for a rapt group of children — but this is not your typical fairytale.

“The princess’ true love was not Prince Febo, nor any other man: it was the seamstress,“ the performer tells the young listeners at a community center in Sao Jose dos Campos, outside Sao Paulo.

“Helena Black” is the creation of art teacher and actor Paulo Reis, 40, a self-described marginalized, black, gay man who wanted an innovative way to fight homophobia in Brazil, a country where anti-LGBTQ prejudice can run deep.

Pacing the room, Reis uses dolls and voices to perform the story, adapted from a children’s book by Brazilian author Janaina Leslao.

It veers from the stereotypical princess tale — but keeps the happy ending.

“And people from all the neighboring kingdoms came to the wedding: some out of friendship, and others out of curiosity to see two women getting married,“ Reis concludes.

The audience bursts into applause.

“Children aren’t born prejudiced, homophobic or racist. They only learn it from adults,“ Reis told AFP.

– Beyond drag shows –

Brazil tops the list of the most violent countries in the world for trans people, with 100 murdered in the year through September 2023, according to rights group Transgender Europe, which monitored 35 countries.

Reis has been performing LGBTQ themed stories for children and adults since 2017, taking his act to cultural centers and libraries across Brazil.

Sao Paulo, Brazil’s economic capital, sponsored the initiative, dubbed, “Mommy, there’s a drag queen telling stories!”

“People think a man dressed as a woman has to be trivial, but a drag queen can also occupy spaces beyond night clubs and sexualized jobs,“ Reis says.

He calls his performances “a political act of resistance” in the face of prejudice.

Vanesa Marques, a 44-year-old artisan, attended with her young daughter in Guarulhos, near Sao Paulo.

“I was curious, but as a Catholic, I was a little worried,“ she says.

But “I broke through my prejudices, and (the event) introduced my daughter to LGBT issues with the same message I want to teach her: we have to love each other, regardless of our preferences, race or religion.”

The coordinator of the community center in Sao Jose dos Campos, Roberval Rodolfo de Oliveira, says programming like Reis’s act helps “enlist children as agents of peace against violence.”

“It’s also an opportunity to display the artistic talents of people who are often excluded,“ he says.

His response to those who dislike the choice of programming: “Making people uncomfortable is an inherent part of art.”

– Libraries, oil refinery –

Reis has also taken his message to the corporate sector.

He once performed “The Princess and the Seamstress” for workers at an oil refinery operated by state-run company Petrobras.

“It was a good experience to be able to tell an LGBTQ story to a mainly male audience, in a typically heterosexual environment,“ he says.

He now dreams of taking his show to the screen.

That would help ensure that “Brazil doesn’t just ignore another gay black artist… like it usually does,“ he says. –AFP

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MLK Day 2024: Truth & Reconciliation – Event At The Harvey B. Gantt Center

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, Norway, 1964.

This special year of MLK Day finds the Gantt steeped in reflection. As the Harvey B. Gantt Center welcomes their 50th year, they engage the community in ways that display their vision for the next 50 years. For MLK Day 2024, the center is connecting with new and old partners to bring experiences that hold space for celebration and artistic expression while exploring the complex meaning of truth and reconciliation. The day’s theme, “Truth & Reconciliation”, seeks to acknowledge the truth of how far we have come, how far we have to go, and how we might collectively get there.

Panel conversations that address the truth of our history from the perspectives of scholars, elders, and leaders. The Harvey B. Gantt Center highlights artists who creatively celebrate the echoes of the Civil Rights era through performances and workshops. The day’s programming has offerings for children and families seeking to create together, history and culture lovers who crave contemplation and collective planning, and art lovers who enjoy meditative and immersive art experiences. The Harvey B. Gantt Center welcomes the entire community to join throughout the day.

The Harvey B. Gantt Center has special partnered-programs with the Levine Museum of the New South which includes a globally integrated dance performance inspired by Rev. Dr. King’s reach, and a panel discussion that examines equity through arts, culture, and history.

Year of Service Initiative

In tandem with MLK Day programming, The Harvey B. Gantt Center is highlighting local non-profits and grassroots organizations that work to preserve the legacy of Rev. Dr. King in their own ways. To honor the objectives of the Day of Service and our 50th year, The Harvey B. Gantt Center encourages every guest of MLK Day to pledge a year of service to one or several of these organizations. Throughout the day, guests may interact with some of the organizations’ leaders, learn about their missions, and offer pledges to engage through volunteering and/or financial support for 2024.

Tours & Exhibitions

The Harvey B. Gantt Center exhibitions complement the holiday’s objective. Participate in the exhibition tours to learn about the history of the Gantt, and gain insight into their current showings:

Tour start times are 10:30 am, 1 pm, and 2:30 pm.

Museum Store

The Harvey B. Gantt Center Museum Store is a collection of local artisans, artists, and vendors that represent some of the best in Black art, literature, stationary items, and more. Support Black creative business with a purchase from the Museum Store.

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy will be preserved, explored, and celebrated with a free day of hands-on art, performance, discussion, and immersive experiences at the Gantt.

Program Schedule

9 am – 6 pm
March With Us: An Interactive Experience
Mecca of Digital Arts (MODA), 2nd Floor

March with Us is an interactive immersive installation that will transport guests back in time to join a unity walk experiencing the profound spirit of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his historical impact. Led by digital artist Alexander Newman Hall.

9 am – 6 pm
Year of Service Initiative Station
3rd Floor Mezzanine

Meet and learn about local organizations that are furthering Rev. Dr. King’s dream in their own way. Pledge to volunteer at this station for one or more of the organizations highlighted during MLK Day.

9 am – 6 pm
MLK Coloring Station
3rd Floor Mezzanine

A nice resting activity point for children and adult colorers. Use crayons, markers, and colored pencils to bring to life an assortment of creative coloring sheets, all themed for MLK Day.

9:15 am – 10:30 am
Our Friend, Martin: Animated Film
Performance Suite, 2nd Floor

Watch the crowd-favorite animated film, a story of two friends in middle school who travel through time, meeting Rev. Dr. King at different points in his life. The film features an all-star voice cast, including Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, and more.

9:30 am – 11 am
Music Theory for Families: Storytime and Activities
2nd Floor Lobby

Enjoy an interactive performance and learn the basics of music theory with live piano sounds and storytime of the children’s book Chris & Frankie, perfect for the little ones. Led by artist and author Christopher Singleton.

10:30 am
Guided Tour
2nd Floor Lobby

Learn more about The Harvey B. Gantt Center’s history, building, and exhibitions with the first docent-guided tour of the day.

10:30 am – 12 noon
Civil Rights & Equity: Arts, Culture, & History
4th Floor

The Harvey B. Gantt Center partners with the Levine Museum of the New South to present a panel discussion that blends both organizations’ missions based on arts, culture, and history. The Harvey B. Gantt Center will explore equity with a focus on lived experience and leadership, scholarly analysis, and arts investment. Featuring County Commissioners board member Arthur Griffin, Director of Charlotte’s Knight Foundation Charles Thomas, and Winthrop professor Dr. O. Jennifer Dixon-McKnight. Moderated by Angelique Gaines, research associate at UNC Charlotte.

11 am – 12 noon
Chris & Frankie Book Signing
Museum Store, 1st Floor

Purchase a copy of the children’s book Chris & Frankie to help your child learn about music, and get it signed by its author Christopher Singleton.

11:30 am – 12 noon
Live Musical Performance with Isaiah Bell
2nd Floor Lobby

Celebrate the holiday with live acoustic music accompanied by melodic vocals from Isaiah Bell.

12 noon – 1:30 pm
Truth and Imagination: An MLK Day Theatre Workshop for Kids and Families
Performance Suite, 2nd Floor

Explore the art of theatre and storytelling through engaging activities that celebrate the values of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Families will participate in role-playing activities that explore themes of truth and equity and get creative with arts and crafts to create props and scenery. The Harvey B. Gantt Center will end with a mini-performance where everyone showcases their unique interpretations of the theme. Led by teaching artist and performer, Tiffany Bryant-Jackson.

12:30 pm – 2 pm
Past & the Future: What is Our Collective Vision?
2nd Floor Lobby

The Harvey B. Gantt Center hears perspectives from some of our elder leaders in Charlotte with a wealth of experiences that reference past challenges and triumphs, to help inform discussion around a collective plan of action to further Rev. Dr. King’s dream. Moderated by media veteran Ken Koontz, featuring District 107 Representative Kelly Alexander, Jr., Charlotte’s first Black female firefighter Linda Lockhart, Ken Bridges, the son of Furman D. Bridges, one of the first Black bus drivers, and Doris Boyd, longtime Gantt partner and community leader.

1 pm – 3 pm
Storytime Nook in the Museum Store
Museum Store, 1st Floor

The Harvey B. Gantt Center Museum Store is the premiere location for children’s books! Bring the little ones to enjoy an assortment of stories that are sure to inspire and empower. All of the books will also be available for purchase. Led by movement artist Kie Jennings.

1 pm
Guided Tour
2nd Floor Lobby

Learn more about The Harvey B. Gantt Center history, building, and exhibitions with the second docent-guided tour of the day.

1 pm – 2:30 pm
Community and Identity: Workshopping Your Activism
4th Floor

In honor of MLK Day, The Harvey B. Gantt Center will lead teens, families, and creatives through a variety of exercises to reimagine a world where their community thrives and explore what role they would want to play in MLK’s dream. Led by creative educator and artist De’Les Latara.

2:30 pm
Guided Tour
2nd Floor Lobby

The final tour of the day, learn more about The Harvey B. Gantt Center history, building, and exhibitions with a docent-guided tour.

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
MLK’s Global Impact: Dance Performance
2nd Floor Lobby

The Harvey B. Gantt Center’s additional partnered program with Levine Museum of the New South brings a movement-based interpretation of Rev. Dr. King’s influence on our world. From the eastern tenets of non-violence, to the honest intentions of truth and reconciliation in South Africa, we leverage the art form of dance to celebrate a global journey toward peace. Led by MufukaWorks Dance Company, and Dances of India.

2:30 pm – 4 pm
Community Collage Drop-In Workshop
Performance Suite, 2nd Floor

Add your individual art piece to a college installation during this drop-in experience. The combined creative contributions of all participants will yield a blended creative writing and visual art collage. Led by teaching artist and poet Shane Manier.

3 pm – 5 pm
A Binding Truth: Screening and Talkback
4th Floor

In partnership with the Bogues Group and Learning from the Future, the film A Binding Truth is the story of two Black and White high school athletes’ journey through one of North Carolina’s most volatile civil rights cases, played out at the explosive intersection of football and race, including a shocking discovery that reveals secrets found buried in church records that would change their lives. Their story, rooted in the South, is also America’s story—one of slavery’s legacy and our current racial divide. The screening will be an abridged version of the film, including an interactive panel of the film’s two athletes Jimmie Kirkpatrick and H.D. Kirkpatrick, RP3 Strategies’ Bob Johnson, Evolve Consulting’s Dave Newell, and other special guests.

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Conscious Sounds: Musical Performance
2nd Floor Lobby

Every great movement has a soundtrack. Enjoy the sounds of past and contemporary explorations of peace, equity, and activism. Curated by musician and community leader Tim Scott, featuring Eric Brice, Evan Brice, and CJ Mercer.

4:30 pm – 6 pm
Beauty of Activisim: Drop-in Art Activity
Performance Suite, 2nd Floor

Create a keepsake with an oil pastel hands-on art workshop to remember MLK Day 2024. This drop-in experience blends the softness and beauty of flowers with the strength and courage of the fist. Led by Dakotah Carter.

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San Jose African American Community Service Agency works toward equity

In celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy, the African American Community Service Agency in San Jose aims to connect residents with educational and supportive services.

The agency is hosting its Martin Luther King, Jr. annual luncheon today, to highlight existing problems, celebrate successes and honor the Black community’s history and culture. Beyond the luncheon, the agency provides a variety of services with the goal of uplifting and supporting marginalized peoples.

Jeremiah Lineberger, who co-chairs the Martin Luther King, Jr. luncheon, said the agency’s events are especially important in unifying the overarching Silicon Valley community. They inform more people about the agency’s existence, which means people will learn about the programs and services available and, if needed, can access them. The luncheon is hosted at San Jose State University’s Student Union Ballroom and Lineberger said the event’s 600 seats are sold out.

“We hope that us bringing the luncheon to (San Jose State University) can help us bring more students to our community center,” Lineberger told San José Spotlight.

The agency’s career development opportunities are important for students to learn about, Lineberger said, especially high schoolers transitioning to college and college students who could get support as they look for jobs in Silicon Valley’s competitive market. Lineberger also highlighted the agency’s science, technology, art and math program for children as another resource residents can access.

The agency’s Family Resource Center provides social services, such as parenting workshops. Amber Mopress is a community worker in the center, and she said the resources provided by the agency ultimately build people up toward self-efficiency by supporting underserved residents.

“There is no cookie cutter solution for support services and advocacy. Everything looks different, people’s needs are different,” Mopress told San José Spotlight.

Recent projects underscoring challenges faced by Silicon Valley’s Black population have shown systemic disparities in the region, from employment to housing. While African American residents are only about 3% of Santa Clara County’s population, they make up a disproportionate 18% of the county’s homeless population. Local leaders say Black residents have been leaving since the 1960s.

The African American Community Service Agency’s goals are to uplift and empower local Black residents, as well as to unite with other communities in the region, Mopress said. She added that the various programs and advocacy initiatives provided by the agency all work toward increasing access to resources, including the agency occasionally operating as a voting center.

“The goal is for us to be one band, one sound,” Mopress said. “However, that is not the way that society has brought us up and so with that, we try to create equity in our community.”

On top of existing programs, the agency is also working on building the Silicon Valley African American Cultural Center, slated to open in 2027. More updates on the center’s construction will be given at the luncheon, as well as other announcements about the agency.

“The biggest impact of the programs and the events is just bringing the community together, and when you bring the community together, you can just see the (beauty) that we have in the world,” Lineberger said.

Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Religious leaders mark MLK Day with voter mobilization

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WASHINGTON (RNS)—For Black church leaders and multiracial coalitions, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, less than 300 days from Election Day, has come to represent the unofficial start to voter mobilization efforts.

Dr._Martin_Luther_King_Jr._Memorial
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Washington, D.C. (Photo by Eric Black)

Plans for what would have been King’s 95th birthday focused on overcoming increased restrictions on voting in some states that may discourage voters—especially younger ones—from casting their ballots.

“We are deeply concerned that our democracy and the right to vote is threatened in ways that we never even imagined,” said Barbara Williams-Skinner, coordinator of Faiths United to Save Democracy. “And at the same time, too many of our young people and also people who are disadvantaged are checking out of the system, do not feel like it is working for them.”

Her coalition plans to expand its activities beyond the Black church leaders who have traditionally been involved in its efforts to include Jews and Muslims, Asian American Pacific Islanders, Latinos and others. A diverse set of advocates representing those groups were scheduled to speak at a virtual forum on MLK Day called “Why Vote?” featuring a video message from NBA star Steph Curry.

“We’re starting early because we need to spend a lot more time educating people about how to vote, how to vote against the rising tide of misinformation and disinformation,” she said. “We need to make sure people understand what their rights are.”

William J. Barber II, national co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, tells a gathering in downtown Jackson, Miss., that restoring voting rights to people who have finished serving time is a moral imperative.(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Bishop William J. Barber II, who as president of Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of Poor People’s Campaign plans to make reducing poverty an election issue, was scheduled to deliver an address at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem in New York as he seeks to build on King’s work. The speech is the first of seven he will give in cities across the country in coming weeks.

“Today, poverty is the 4th leading cause of death in America,” Barber said in a statement announcing his plans. “It is a death sentence for Americans. It is a moral travesty and a detriment to the soul of our nation that poverty kills more people than homicide yet the powers that be don’t want to address it.”

Al Sharpton’s National Action Network planned to host an MLK Day breakfast in Washington, where voting rights were to be a topic of the day. His organization and the Conference of National Black Churches announced a joint “Get Out the Vote” campaign in December that will focus on issues of concern to African American voters, including affirmative action and health care access.

“We are not simply celebrating Dr. King’s legacy this year but coming together to publicly vow to protect it from those who wish to undo his work,” said Sharpton in a statement about his organization’s observance of the King holiday.


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“Right now, the Civil Rights Act he pushed President Johnson to pass in 1964 is under relentless attack, voting rights for Black Americans are being chipped away in dozens of states, and diversity in Corporate America is on the brink.”

The breakfast, said W. Franklyn Richardson, a New York-area pastor who chairs both the NAN and CNBC’s boards, was intended to kick off a joint campaign to connect with some 31,000 congregations affiliated with the Black church conference and the dozens of chapters of Sharpton’s network to train pastors to, in turn, educate congregants in the voting process.

“We plan to use every vehicle, every asset available to us to try to give attention to this election in November, and we’re starting early because we don’t believe we can do it in the last three months of the election season,” he said.

Richardson said using MLK Day to emphasize voting in the months ahead is appropriate because of the civil rights leader’s advocacy for voting rights.

“He used the process of political participation, driven by a clear mandate of social justice of the gospel to get our people to participate in elections,” he said. “I think Martin Luther King has set the paradigm for the church’s participation in this process. And we can’t go to sleep on it. We’ve got to sound the alarm that our participation is vital.”

What Would MLK Do to Address Black Mental Health?

Among his many fights for equality, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sought to address inequities in healthcare and raise awareness of the power of prioritizing love — especially self-care and self-love.

Healthcare injustice had no place in King’s dream of an equal nation.

“Of all forms of discrimination and inequalities, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman,” King said at a Medical Committee for Human Rights annual meeting in spring 1966, according to reports at the time.

With the many health challenges disproportionately affecting Black Americans today – such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia and HIV/AIDS, as reported by Pfizer — fighting healthcare injustice continues King’s legacy of speaking out against inequities.

Following in the footsteps of King and other civil rights leaders, Dr. Edwin Chapman has dedicated his career to working with underserved communities across D.C. His goal is to lessen health disparities and socioeconomic challenges affecting the livelihood of many African American residents.  

“That’s really my whole focus — closing the gaps in care that we knew were present even before COVID-19. Now it’s been exacerbated, of course, with the 12% increase in homelessness,” said Chapman. “The problems that we’re having with food insecurity and all that is related to what we’re seeing with the so-called shoplifting in our grocery stores, [shows] that we have an underlying health disparity that’s really being played out in terms of economics.”

Further, as King pushed for equal rights in health care, he also emphasized prioritizing one’s own health, particularly mental health.

King reportedly attempted to take his own life twice before the age of 13.  Further, throughout his career, King worked to combat the stress, emotional pressure and anxieties of leading a movement, violent attacks coupled with death threats, and grappling with the challenges of the world.

The civil rights leader spoke on depression without having to blatantly say the word.

“You know, a lot of people don’t love themselves. And they go through life with deep and haunting emotional conflicts. So the length of life means that you must love yourself. And you know what loving yourself also means? It means that you’ve got to accept yourself,” King said in his sermon “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life,” delivered at New Covenant Baptist Church in Chicago in April 1967.

When planning this year’s  MLK Holiday DC Health Fair, Wendell Whren Jr. knew he wanted to emphasize Black male health and mental health.

“I’m in the process of transitioning to become better and I’m going through my own personal things. A lot of my buddies are going through things. I think a lot of men suffer in silence,” said Whren, 35, organizer of the health fair. “Based on the nature of the lives of the men around me, I  just felt like men needed to be supported and addressed on [Martin Luther King Jr. Day].”

Whren said King’s notion of freedom directly aligns with his goals for Black male wellness.

“We talk about being free… but a lot of us have been held captive to our thoughts. We’ve been held captive to the opinions of other people and we’re not free. So we’re walking around with this baggage, we’re not happy or miserable, we’re suffering. And that’s not what Dr. Martin Luther King talked about,” said Whren. “[The health fair] puts us in a space where we can be free to just be our authentic selves for those few hours. [I hope] when these men encounter these different health care providers, that they find it safe enough and inviting enough and welcoming  enough to be free in the moment — to have a moment of freedom that Dr. King was talking about.”

As he preached about in 1967, King’s keys to combating mental health challenges were prioritizing love and working toward being a good person. 

“We all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade,” King said in his sermon “The Drum Major Instinct,” at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia on February 4, 1968. “And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct. It is a good instinct if you don’t distort it and pervert it. Don’t give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be the first in love. I want you to be the first in moral excellence. I want you to be the first in generosity.”

In that same 1968 sermon, he stressed his message of love by noting even mental health professionals recommend love as opposed to hate as a means of survival.

“Hate is just as injurious to the hater as it is to the hated. Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity,” said King. “Many of our inner conflicts are rooted in hate. This is why psychiatrists say, ‘Love or perish.’ Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

African-American voters reevaluate Democratic loyalty on MLK Day

Today as we remember and honor the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man who said he was a man of God before he was a man of the people, many African-American voters are turning away from the Democratic Party because they do not believe President Joe Biden is the right leader for what was a huge voting block for him in 2020.

Washington Insider Armstrong Willians joined The National Desk’s Jan Jeffcoat to discuss.

“Inflation is having a disproportionate impact on that. Black household wealth has significantly decreased and I think one of the things that we’re not talking about enough is that urban centers have been so impacted by illegal immigration and the resources that are being taken away to take care of these illegals in these urban centers and resources for health care, the education for tutors, for mentorship and for housing is just not available anymore,” he said.

The support from African-Americans for Biden has started to erode in recent months. This comes as a New York Times recent poll found that 22% of black voters in six battleground states plan to back Trump in 2024.

“They’re the ones who pay the biggest price,” Armstrong said. “These are the things that many people are just not talking about that’s impacting these urban centers.”