Falsehoods Americans Believe about MLK

(Cross-posted to Facebook, ugh, and G+)

Today, all across the country, kids are learning this kind of garbage about MLK. This is a worksheet my kid got in a public school last year (apparently downloaded from a popular worksheet-sharing website).

* The problem in the 1960s was not that white people oppressed and frequently killed black people, it's that "white and black people did not work, live or play together" for unstated reasons. Let's not point any fingers here. Mistakes were made.

* Is MLK remarkable for his civil disobedience? For nonviolent resistance? For grassroots organization the likes of which the world has never seen? For leading a crusade against injustice, war and capitalism? Gosh no. He's remarkable because he "gave speeches" telling people to "be friendly."

* MLK's race is unstated and irrelevant, apparently. Based on the picture he was apparently the surprise lovechild of Steve Harvey and Ernie.

* "HIS DREAM HAS COME TRUE MANY YEARS LATER" WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. This isn't just blatantly false, it's actively harmful. Research shows that believing equality of opportunity exists makes children MORE RACIST, because they have no way of understanding the inequalities they see in society other than attributing communities' failings to those communities.

Take some time today to read this and then talk to a child in your life about who MLK really was and what he was really fighting against. And about what we can do today to fight against the same damn things, because MLK's dream has NOT come true.