MLK Day gives me mixed feelings. When he lived, MLK was hated by most Americans. That hatred may have been seeded in white resentment, but it grew as Dr. King focused his attention on our unjust economic system & started marching with workers, joining them on strike lines. 1/

Today, we see major corporations like McDonalds, Walmart, Amazon, Uber, etc. produce million dollar ad campaigns celebrating Dr. King. If he were alive, he would be in the marches and rallies continuing to protest with the workers these companies exploit. 2/

He’s celebrated for racial harmony. However, he saw economic injustice as the engine that drove the racial injustice he fought so hard against. He condemned “the tragic inequalities of an economic system which takes necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes.” 3/

He believed we needed massive wealth redistribution. And, today, we have more income inequality then when King was alive. It’s easy to focus on the racial harmony piece while ignoring the hard work required to achieve racial equality within our economic system. 4/

“We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are all tied together...you can’t really get rid of one without getting rid of the others… America is a hypocritical nation and [we] must put [our] own house in order.” 5/