by David Mullings
SOUTH FLORIDA – The USA marks the legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tomorrow, as they have for decades. But few Americans will be mentioning his visit to Jamaica in 1965 and what he said about that trip. The Most Hon. Edward Seaga, a former Prime Minister of Jamaica, wrote in volume 1 of his book My Life and Leadership that “This address was memorable as an eloquent call to action to challenge black people to perform with pride whatever they did so that they could not be denied respect.”
I never appreciated how lucky I was to be born in a country that had black bankers, lawyers, judges, doctors, policeman, prime ministers and so forth until I came to the United States of America. I always wondered why Black Americans seemed to not take advantage of the land of opportunity. Once I started college in 1996 in Florida, I quickly realized how serious racism was and how that inequality could compound over centuries to generate the results we were seeing then. Unfortunately, the USA has made progress but it has been too little and too slow, with risk of sliding further back this November.
First Visit to Jamaica
MLK Jr. came to Jamaica and said that “In Jamaica, I feel like a human being” which is a clear reminder that not only is the country majority black, it was known for its hospitality, the warmth of the people. 4 million tourists will flock to Jamaica’s shores this year for the same reason.
He loved Jamaica so much that he returned 2 years later to complete the manuscript for his book Where Do We Go From Here. The Jamaica Gleaner archives say that “He chose Jamaica, not only because it provided an opportunity to reflect without distractions, but because his spirit and vision were inspired by ‘this independent black country’.”
Jamaica has a special place in the world after being the first country to speak out against the Apartheid Regime in South Africa. We stood up for what was right because it was the right thing to do. We spoke out against injustice. We no longer do that.
MLK Jr. was so moved by his trip to Jamaica after seeing how Jamaicans behaved towards each other in 1965 that he said the following in a later speech:
“Here you have people from many national backgrounds: Chinese, Indians, so-called Negroes, and you can just go down the line, Europeans, European and people from many, many nations. Do you know they all live there and they have a motto in Jamaica, ‘Out of many people, one people.’ And they say, ‘Here in Jamaica we are not Chinese, we are not Japanese, we are not Indians, we are not Negroes, we are not Englishmen, we are not Canadians. But we are all one big family of Jamaicans.’
One day, here in America, I hope that we will see this and we will become one big family of Americans. Not white Americans, not black Americans, not Jewish or Gentile Americans, not Irish or Italian Americans, not Mexican Americans, not Puerto Rican Americans, but just Americans. One big family of Americans.”
America never became that big family and Jamaica, influenced heavily by American media and interference, is no longer one big family. Let us reflect on the words of the great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and strive to be one big family in whichever country we call home.
David P.A. Mullings is the Chairman and CEO of Blue Mahoe Holdings, Inc., a private company focused on giving retail investors access to investments across the Caribbean region and served as the first Future Leaders Representative for the USA on the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board.
