Welcome to another episode of Civic Cipher. I'm your host, Rams' job job I mq ward. You are tuned into Civic Cipher, Yes, and we got a lot for you to stick around for. We had an interesting Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Junior holiday and we realized that.
A lot of people really.
Don't know the man that we, to be fair, had to had to come to know and study. And this version of him that has been whitewashed and romanticized is in some ways a far cry from the actual man that lived. This guy was prolific, and you know, he's almost it's almost like he's reduced every holiday to just his I have a dream speech and a couple the choice.
Quotes that believe they've kind of put him in the category with Santa Claus right right, and that's not really fair.
So we're going to take some time and really flesh out a little bit more of Doctor King what he stood for.
And we're going to do that a little later in the show.
By reading five lesser known facts about Doctor Martin Luther King Junior for our Way Black History fact there's a lot that we feel you need to know about, and there's a lot that doesn't really make its way too popular conversations and educational curriculum. Also, we're going to take some time and point out the hypocrisy found most prominently in the GOP in this country when it comes to Doctor King's holiday, where again they take little bits and pieces of his life and kind of throw a quote
up here and there for clout. But they in no way stand for anything that Doctor King stood for. So it's up to us to point that out and to teach what we know. Right now, it's time for some ebony excellence. Today's ABNY Excellence is sponsored by Major Threads for Innovative fashionable sportswear checkmajorthreads dot com. Uh, and we are pulling parts of this story from Radioinsight dot com.
Today's example of EBNY excellence, we're gonna shout out the one and only mister Tony Coles, who is one of the people who is responsible for the success of this show. Right here will He is growing in the media's space and it has made trade news and so we thought we'd share with you today. I'll read Tony Coles promoted from President of the Black Information Network to President of
Multicultural Business and Development at iHeartMedia. Sometimes there are people you know like me and Q, and sometimes there's people you don't know behind the scenes making things like this and other things that happened. Tony Cole's effectively discovered civic side from the early days of our syndication, and now that we are on over seventy stations across the country, we can point to a handful of folks, most notably
Tony Coles, for making that happen. So with this new move, he's adding the additional responsibility President of Multicultural Business and Development to his title, effectively expanding his influence on behalf of the largest media company in the United States. He will now lead all multicultural efforts as the President of
Multicultural Business and Development. Multicultural advertising is projected to reach sixteen point five billion dollars in the next three years, and we are certainly happy to see someone who is tapped in, someone who understands what it is that we are trying to do. I think as a people collectively, and we're just grateful someone has the temperament and the resolve and is measured and calculated who's in that position.
So shout out to Tony Coles for making it happen for us, and shout out to him for growing and developing and taking on all the Spanish stations and everything that comes with this new title.
Keep going. You got our support now.
One of the things that we did, you know, with the time off, you know whatever, you get a chance to kind of check in with social media. You get a chance to tap in with people you haven't heard from in a while. And of course, you know, with you and I working in this space, you know, folks think of us, you know, being in the space where we're trying to kind of create a more equitable world
along racial lines. And you know, for some of our friends and people that were connected with we're top of mind, and.
So things get sent our way.
I want to take a moment and shout out and Instagram handle Live Love Liberate. She's a good friend of mine and a good friend of the show, and she managed to compile a blond of stuff that really illustrates the delusion that has found its way in recent years to right wing social media of platforms, certainly right wing political platforms, and in no way represent the reality of
what Doctor King stood for. And it feels a little bit insulting that they would take Doctor King's words stand on them, at least in a digital space, saying that this was a great man and these things that he said were so profound, and we're glad that the country has reached this level, and so forth and so on, and then the other three hundred and sixty four days of the year actively work against what not only what he would wrote in.
His letters and has gave.
In his sermons, but even in the I have a dream speech which is in and of itself picked apart and used oftentimes out of context by these folks. And it's up to us to kind of set the record straight. You know, the hypocrisy. We we do blatant thank you hypocrisy. We point out a lot of hypocrisy and in all you know, political arenas, but not enough can be said about the extreme hypocrisy that we find in you know, conservative circles.
It's it's the strangest thing.
It's they're so it's like it's like watching crazy people, but there's so many crazy people sharing the delusion that you can't.
Convince them that they're crazy.
Right, But I will read to you exactly what made its way to us, and we'll discuss and you can see, you know, and decide for yourself if in fact this is crazy, this is a delusion.
So let's start one of the things.
And this was just a meme that was sent along that I thought was kind of important, uh, for us, you know, getting into this subject better right now. The meme was a child holding a poster and the poster says, stop using MLK as an example of a peaceful protest.
You shot him too, I was heavy.
Right, yeah, right, Nothing you can do's good enough, right, you know, Doctor King was certainly one of those people that had to push back against folks of the cloth, ministers and pastors and preachers pushing back on him, telling him that he should not protest in a non violent way. Right, And bear in mind that his approval rating again was
twenty percent when he was alive. Twenty percent. Now everybody looks back and go doctor King, you know, but when he was alive, eighty percent of the people disapproved of him, his methods, what he stood for, his face, whatever. You know, people just didn't like him. And that's something that this country loves to forget. I don't forget that though, all right, First up, full disclosure. Some of these are from this year,
and some of these are from previous years. Rand Paul. Okay, so Ran Paul is you know again, conservative politician Rand Paul quoting doctor King when anything is laughable? Isn't that crazy? So here's a a It looks like a tweet from Rand Paul. It says, as we honor MLK today, may his courage inspire us to redouble our commitment to working together for change. Let's commemorate the life of doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. While uniting the two Americas into one in America that includes just.
Dot dot dot.
Okay, So this is, you know, the tweet as you get the idea, to get the gist of it. And then in the screencap that was sent to me, there's an article and the headline says how Rand Paul blocked the Immit till Anti lynching bill while the nation more George Floyd. So this man talking about commemorating the life of doctor King, uniting the two Americas and so forth
and so on. It feels like, you know, what it takes to unite the two Americas is to recognize that the two Americas have different views, have different concerns, and different realities.
Right.
This is something that I'm sure every politician can understand. But when you fail to account for one of those facets, one of those elements, Alps, it seems less like I want to work together and more like I want to seize more power and subject you to my reality.
Who in the world and I need you to be okay with that? Right? Thank you?
Who in the world would block the init till anti lynching bill while the nation was mourning? George Floyd? I mean, we don't even need the second part. Who would block an anti lynching bill a period?
And see it's these things that feel so hurtful, and it's like everybody's just ignores this and keeps voting for these guys.
I think you are providing too much grace because I do not think that all the people that this men are ignoring that like them.
That's why they're voting. For sure, I'll give you that.
But so if that is true, then why a quote and post it on your social media?
Ran Paul?
Because even racist, bigoted, despicable people don't want you to think that of them. Crazy racist people don't even like being called racist while doing racist things.
Hey, when you're right, you're right. Man. But you know the craziest part about this is that it feels like.
There's like, to a person like me, why would you quote doctor King? Why don't why not quote you know, Robberty Lee, you know, or one of your like real heroes, you know, people that would also be opposed to the imit till anti lynching bill. Right, Since this, you know, your voting record shows me where your values are, why not, you know, quote a person like that? Why even celebrate Doctor King's Day? And it feels like they want to get some of that Doctor King clout now that they've
whitewashed the legacy, they want to cash in on it. Right, So I think that what you're saying is absolutely right, just adding a couple of layers are a little bit more seasoning to it. But yeah, man, this is this is the strangest thing. I've never seen anything like it.
All Right, let's go on, Ron DeSantis. So suffice it to say, you just, you know, copied a meme or screen, you know, a photo of doctor King standing next to a cutout of his I have a dream speech right the text right, and then above the photo he put Happy MLK Day with an exclamation point and that you know, the cutout is the you know, I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and every mountain shell, etcetera.
Blah blah blah.
Right.
The person that grabbed this entire screen grab and send it over to me responded to Ron de Santis saying pretty close to that horrible CRT, like, that's that's Black history right there.
You sure that's what you want to do.
And for those that don't know this guy, Rondasantis has been perhaps the biggest and most vocal opponent of CRT or in fact, American history, Teaching American history in schools based off of nothing, based off of some imaginary boogeyman, kids are going to be sad and not you know, love the country and feel bad about themselves or whatever, which in my estimation is complete not or nonsense. It feels very unfair and it feels like another whitewashing of history,
and it's dangerous. But it's particularly hurtful when this person, who does not want us as a country to look back, certainly doesn't want our children to look back, will readily pull from Black history when it keeps him slightly. I mean in terms of the optics looking slightly less racist than he absolutely is. And again, these are things that you need to know. Not everybody that you know quotes
the Bible, is, you know, going to heaven. You know, I'm sure there's some sort of even a believer you're quoting. There's some sort of anecdote that I've heard growing up. I come from a Christian tradition in my house, and so there are these little things that we pass around back and forth. But you know, the same seems to be true here with the in the political arena with respect to doctor King.
Here's a funny one. The actual at gops.
Social media handle, which is I'm assuming the handle for the entirety of the political party known as Republicans in this country. They're just they just put a post that says happy Martin Luther King Day. And this is just sort of funny because the person also responded with a clip clippy the clip art and it says, Hi, it looks like you're quoting doctor Martin Luther King Jr. To try to hide the fact that you give comfort to racist Would you like some help logging out forever?
That's awesome?
Yeah, man, it's crazy, but you know, that one doesn't have as much you know, teeth in it in it from a journalistic standpoint, but it's just sort of something that's.
A little bit funny. Let's go to Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz.
Has has a post that and we know, we realized this was from last weekend, but we had to talk about this because if we don't point out this, these hypocrisies, then you may associate these backwards political leaders on the right with an actual American hero who probably would be more left than everybody that even I know, and I'm way over there on the left, man, but you know, Ted Cruz, he put a post that says, today we honor the life and legacy of doctor Martin Luther King,
Junior Priest Standard and then there's like a photo of doctor King and everything like that.
And then there's a picture.
Of him interrogating or interviewing whatever you want to call it, Judge Katanji Brown Jackson, and he's.
Holding up the children's book.
You remember that scene on the floor of the children's book was like basically an educational book for children about race and so forth. And so again, doctor King was certainly about educating, certainly about together in this fellowship.
So forth, we need to understand each other, we need.
To support each other, help each other. And then Ted Cruz, almost everything that he's done in this space has been.
If Doctor King.
Were still alive, Ted Cruz would, based on his track record, would stand in opposition to almost.
Everything Doctor King stood everything.
And so again, just pulling a little bit of political they reworked the image of Doctor King because he wasn't Malcolm X. It reworked him, made him a little bit more you know, friendly, like you said, made him into basically Santa Claus, and then took him for themselves.
And it feels like.
Wait, you know, and we've seen this happen with music, with rock and roll, with you know, we've seen it happen time and again with all bits and pieces of our culture. It's taken from us. It's white washed and repackaged,
you know, for a white audience. But to see this happen with Doctor King, someone who in many ways is a moral guidepost for not just black people, but for this entire country, to have his legacy and his story be co opted, his words be co opted and used in these circles where the source of the hatred that we're dealing with the source of the conflicts. I mean, we can't figure this gun stuff out. We can't figure
it noun of this stuff out. And often enough it's those people on that side of the aisle that are standing in the way, and as you mentioned, very intentionally out loud, not hiding it. They wide open. And then all of a sudden, Doctor King's Holiday comes around, everybody's like, oh yeah, comebaya, and then the day after they get right back to it. All right, let me let me continue.
Here's another name, you know, Mitch McConnell. Uh says, today we honor an American hero, the Reverend doctor Martin Luther King Jr. His dream of equal justice an abundant opportunity inspired our nation to make historic progress and continue to make us better to this day.
And this quote was superimposed.
This quote that this tweet rather for Mitch McConnell is packaged, as it was sent to me, was packaged with a photo of Mitch McConnell receiving an award standing in front of a gigantic Confederate flag and he's old as dirt, so these basically the same age as he is now.
So clearly this person wants the image of Doctor King.
But Doctor King was really about you know, togetherness, and Mitch mcconnald just used his words, but you know, staying in front of that flag, it'd be hard press to make a case that that's what you're really on.
It's like they've gone out of their way to make Doctor King benign.
Yeah, toothless.
Soft a word that you often use to remind people that you aren't, so.
They want him to be perceived that way.
So it's not just whitewashing, but making him harmless. Right in many ways, it can't be perceived that he was at one point opposed to and by the government.
Right. So now that his reproval rating is one hundred and the.
Most romanticized parts of the dream sweech, because I have a dream speech in of itself, it's not even all kumbaya, but patch that way very intentionally to take out this really really sweet, really really warm part, make it very very hallmark, make him very very animated, make him very very much a character, right, And like I said, of a nine harmless, toothless, warm, soft character when he was at his core, the opposite of all of that, and
more selflessly for us probably than anyone ever, how about that like his his his rap sheet with regards to the causes that helped us long and impenetrable, that that part of his legacy cannot be tarnished or questioned for real willing to sacrifice at all as it ultimately did for all of us and not just skin folk.
Yeah, yeah, and this is another thing that we need to share with you. You know, for those who don't know, when doctor King was assassinated, it was because he had gone to Tennessee to work with.
Poor people.
You know, he was trying to get you know, workers' rights, labor rights, you know, fair compensation, et cetera.
Issues that were still dealing with.
In this country today, issues that you know, the Republican Party would.
Stand opposed to, as they have done for the past couple of years.
You know, once he turned that corner, you know, once it wasn't about hey can we use the same bathroom or drink from the same water fountain or sit at the same lunch counter. Once it was like once it was like, hey, you're coming after you know, our war, coming after our money, or you know, creating cohesion between poor people and or whites and poor blacks. You know. Then it became okay, well this is this guy has
got too much power. Once his approval ratings started to tick upward because he's now reaching in the new communities and identifying commonalities, then it becomes more problematic. So you know, this list goes on Lauren Bobert and whoever else. The rest of these people are more of the same. I'll spare you the details, but I do want to leave you with this. Here's a tweet from Bernie King, which is doctor King's daughter.
She says, if.
You're going to quote and authentically honor my father on MLK Day, commit to embracing a world house perspective, determine how you'll disrupt unjust systems and thinking with non violent strategy, which that was doctor King. That was what he was about, non violence, and that's what they took. They preferred him to Stoke Lee and to you know, uh uh Malcolm
Malcolm and James Baldwin everyone else. Doctor King was a minister and you know, anyway, I'll continue support policies that reflect higher consciousness and make no excuses for hate.
So this comes directly from his daughter.
This is what you need to do on doctor King's birthday and unfortunately we have not seen that from our conservative branch