Eugene Young: MLK's undelivered sermon shines light on three roadblocks to equality

Eugene Young
Guest columnist

"Where Do We Go From Here — Chaos or Community?''

These are not my words. These are not the words of Jeremiah Wright, nor are these the words of Malcolm X. Rather, these words represent the next sermon King was preparing to give at his home church of Ebenezer Baptist that upcoming Sunday if he was not assassinated on April 4th, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel.

I raise the title of this potential sermon, not because he had committed himself to believe America was going to hell, but rather because King saw America suffering from the self-inflicted wounds of the three evils: racism, poverty, and militarism.

Eugene Young is president of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed our racial inequalities, only reinforcing the inequities and racialized treatment experienced for many within the Black, Latino/a and Indigenous communities.

Millions of individuals have been evicted or currently live on the brink of eviction.

Occupational segregation, which has concentrated workers of color into more service- orientated jobs, has resulted in less of an ability to work from home and access to paid sick time, contributing to higher infection rates.

While military use is deemed appropriate for Black Lives Matter protestors, it is somehow not appropriate for White Supremacists who storm, deface and destroy property within the U.S. Capitol, only to be escorted to the exit.

If we are to combat many of these issues, it will be critical for us to organize, build coalitions and prescribe policy that would be from the local to the federal levels of government. 

"Where Do We Go From Here — Chaos or Community?''

This is the title of King’s final book before his assassination. In this important text, King provides an honest critique of the white liberal, Black leadership/middle class and fellow clergy. More importantly, he provides a roadmap of what would be needed for a long-standing grassroots movement.

An example can be found inside the text, where King states, “But mass nonviolent demonstrations will not be enough. They must be supplemented by a continuing job of organization. To produce change, people must be organized to work together in units of power.”

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This quote has helped me lead the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. We have taken guidance from the work of King and created the “Building People Power Campaign,'' a grassroots, multi-issue effort to propel racial justice across Delaware. This quote also highlights the need for men and women to learn the true essence behind community organizing and its ability to create power and change.

This is why three years ago, we created the Ella J. Baker Black Organizing Group,  which immerses participants in the fundamentals of social change organizing, base building, leadership development and campaign planning.

We also recognize the importance of investment in our young people, and have created a training ground for aspiring Black and Latino/a leaders. Our James H. Gilliam Fellowship program is where diverse leaders converge to work collaboratively in communities, while building their capacity as policy makers, advocates, and community organizers.

“The whole future of America will depend upon the impact and influence of Dr King.”

This line was said by King’s colleague and friend Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel:

"If we are to progress as a country, it will be tied to how we respond to the aforementioned three evils of racism, poverty, and militarism. We at the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League will stand shoulder to shoulder with any entity, individual, or organization looking to do the same.''

Eugene Young is the CEO & president of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. He co-founded Delaware Elite, a youth leadership development program that provided inner city youth with academic enrichment, leadership training and access to college.