King Collection Research Project

King Collection Research Project

Maximilian Sanders

Dr. Platt

1/22/16

Introduction

During President Barack Obama’s second term as President of the United States, the nation has been plagued by egregious incidents of police brutality and calls for extensive criminal justice reform. The aforementioned issues have disproportionately affected African Americans for centuries, however, African Americans are currently in a unique political position. The presence of Barack Obama enables African Americans to grapple with police brutality and seek extensive criminal justice reform with the assistance and support of traditionally apathetic political entities.

Body

In this aspect of Obamas responses to highly publicized incidents, he differs from King. King explicitly condemned the behavior of right-wing northern republicans and Dixiecrats. In Showdown for Nonviolence, King states that the “government does not correct a race problem until it is confronted directly and dramatically”, which implies that King believed a unified government is necessary to eradicate these issues, not just Obama, Congress, or the Supreme Court alone, but in tandem (65). In this regard, Obama has made valiant efforts to coarse Congress to address these issues, but his efforts have been to little or no avail. In 2010, Obama was able to push the Fair Sentencing Act through congress, which reduced the disparity between sentences for crack and cocaine possession. But, Obamas’ other actions have been the result of executive orders.

A Black president has proven to be a two edged sword. He possess a unique perspective on issues that disproportionately impact African Americans, but his blackness is also a root cause of the current climate of unprecedented political polarization. The back lash from the election of Barack Obama was the catalyst for the current climate of unprecedented political polarization, and the last time Congress was this dysfunctional was during the climax of the civil rights movement in the mid-1960’s, when Martin Luther King was in his prime. Subsequently, Obama has been reluctant to directly confront police brutality and the need for criminal justice reform. He resorted to performing subtle actions using his executive powers in an effort to make small improvements, while avoiding the prospect of further political polarization. President Obama created the Second Chance Pell Pilot Program to enable incarcerated individuals to earn pell grants, with the intention of reducing recidivism among ex-convicts. President Obama also established the National Clean Slate Clearinghouse to provide assistance with record cleaning, expungement, and other necessary legal services (WhiteHouse.gov). Both programs have a positive impact on African Americans because African Americans represent a disproportionate percentage of the prison population, however, neither were created to target recidivism within African American communities specifically. The looming prospect of exacerbating political polarization is certainly frightening, but Martin Luther King would criticize Obama for allowing political drivel and angst to deter him from maximizing his role as a black president in an effort to confront police brutality and criminal justice.

President Barack Obama has been especially reluctant to utilize turbulence created by the multitude of police killings involving unarmed young black men. King would argue that failure to harness blatant injustices against African Americans to encourage policing and criminal justice reform is criminal. Also, President Obama has utilized mass shootings, such as the Sandy Hook massacre, to encourage Congress to act on gun control. Why should he deliberately avoid police killings involving unarmed young black men to further his policy agenda? The answer is the massacre of 20 white kindergartners is not as politically controversial as the murder of an unarmed young black man by police. In Kings speech at the funeral for the four young girls murdered in the Birmingham bombing and his speech at the funeral of pastor James Reed, his disdain for the obstinance of politicians following blatant acts of violence against African Americans is apparent. In both speeches, King distributes blame for the tragedies, specifically targeting the members of American society who create systems which perpetuate and ignore injustice. At Pastor James Reeds funeral, King states that he was“murdered by the irresponsibility of every politician who has moved down the path of demagoguery”, instead of putting aside fears of political consequences and performing their jobs as government officials (A Witness to the Truth, King). Kings characterization of the ‘demagogue politician’ applies to President Obama’s strategy for dealing with instances of police brutality and calls for criminal justice reform.

Conclusion

In President Obama’s last State of the Union address, he failed to mention criminal justice reform and police brutality, opting for a banal, yet comprehensive, address. However this does not mean he is oblivious to the significance of his presidency. As President Obama exited the congressional chamber, he stopped and pointed to Senator John Lewis, a freedom rider and outspoken civil rights activist. President Obama said to John Lewis, “I love you”. Although this gesture appears insignificant, it reveals that Obama certainly comprehends his role in a legacy of black leaders who have fought for and defended the universal freedoms of minorities, particularly African Americans. Although he may not have been able to propose comprehensive criminal justice reform, or spearheaded a national overhaul to improve policing, he has established a solid foundation the nation requires to begin to reform policing and the U.S. criminal justice system through traditional political entities.

Bibliography

King, M. L. (n.d.). Showdown for non-violence.

The White House. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2016, from

7.0.0.400 "Statement by the President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the Rev. M. L. King, Jr." 1956 December 20 typed manuscript unsigned with annotation in unknown hand, 1p

Martin Luther King, Jr. - New York City, Riverside Church - April 4 1967