OPINION

MLK Day: Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. in Louisville

Charles Booker | Opinion contributor

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we stop and take a moment to reflect on the immeasurable changes Dr. King catalyzed in the struggle for racial equality and equity during his time on this planet, which we all know was cut far too short.

MLK’s leadership changed our country and the world. I am so grateful for him and other civil rights leaders who blazed the trail I stand on today. As the youngest black state legislator in Kentucky in nearly 90 years, I know I stand on their shoulders.

My family history is full of the same horrors MLK put his life on the line to fight against.

I am a descendant of people who were enslaved not only in this country, but in this commonwealth: My great-great-great grandfather was born into slavery in Kentucky. Three of my great-great uncles were lynched.

Despite these soul-crushing atrocities, there is a legacy in my family of facing unfathomable challenges and yet still pushing for justice and equity.

After serving our nation, my grandad fought for desegregation in Louisville. He worked at Reynolds Metals Co. at a period in time when black people weren’t given opportunities in management. When he wanted to move up the ranks, he was told that would never happen, but he wasn’t someone who was going to be told what he couldn’t do.

He organized coworkers to fight back, and, together, they demand that they get fair opportunities for their hard work. My grandad overcame all odds and became one of the first black men to be in a management position at Reynolds.

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He was always fighting for other people. Though he knew the danger of speaking out against injustice, he also knew it was the only way positive change could happen. Still, he never would have imagined that his grandson would be a state legislator, let alone a candidate for the United States Senate.

As I travel the commonwealth getting to know people from all walks of life, I have been reminded again and again of the fight Dr. King led against poverty, the fight that is less often discussed.

In the last years of his life, Dr. King’s focus expanded as he began the next chapter of his work in the struggle for equality: the Poor People’s Campaign, a movement that sought to build a multiracial coalition of economically disadvantaged people. The premise was simple: The government can — and should — make sure every American has the dignity and security of a guaranteed basic income, and that no one is exploited and left behind by the economy.

Photo by Jim Peppler. Courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Today, the idea of a universal basic income is being discussed more and more, including in the Democratic presidential primary. It’s a conversation we need to be having in Kentucky, too.

When I think about our commonwealth and the people I represent now, and the millions I hope to represent soon, it is hard to not see how much the type of universal basic income championed by Dr. King would help people all across Kentucky.

Kentucky is ranked 44 out of the 50 states when it comes to opportunity. We are the eighth most food-insecure state; we have the 5th highest poverty rate, and we are 44th for average household income. The average Kentucky income is $48,373 compared to the national average of $60,336; the poverty rate in Kentucky is 17.2% compared to the national average of 13.4%.

Those alarming statistics are at the foreground of my campaign, and it’s why I believe it is time for Kentucky and the country to commit to a universal basic income. We must do this with the full understanding that by investing in people and ensuring they have financial means to make decisions in their lives, it would tangibly benefit black Kentuckians in the most marginalized communities, who have been hard hit by decades of oppression and discrimination.

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It would also help everyone who struggles economically. A UBI will strengthen the entire economy, foster more job creation and increase revenue for local businesses. Like Dr. King, I believe it would be a catalyst across the board.

The only way we can give people true pathways to make decisions in their lives is by ensuring them more disposable income so they have freedom to invent, start a business, or advance their education. This is not a handout, it is a just investment in the people of our commonwealth and this country. This is about creating opportunity; this is about fostering innovation; this is about building strong, loving families. This is about acknowledging everything that poor and working class people put into this economy that they are never compensated for. This is about paying what is owed and finally ending poverty.

From childcare to eldercare, we have members of our society who are doing full-time work to take care of their loved ones. Don’t they deserve to be paid for their work, too?

Our value as human beings should not be based on whether or not we have a job, or what some employer is willing to pay us to do it. What will happen to the coal miners, when the coal companies decide their jobs don’t have value anymore?

I want to make sure Kentuckians are compensated for all the work they do, all the productivity they create, and all the sacrifices they make. That’s why I believe that the best way to honor Dr. King’s legacy is to finish the work that he started, and commit ourselves to fighting for a universal basic income.