ON THIS MLK HOLIDAY, END KING-BAITING

King baiting is rampant these days. King-baiting?

I'm talking about the tried and true practice of invoking the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s name whenever someone wants to curry
favor, assuage anger, rebut arguments or influence decisions by
African-Americans. Regardless of political persuasion, King-baiting
has become standard operating procedure in the past few years.

Today, on the national holiday on which we honor the civil-rights
icon, let's talk honestly about King-baiting.

For instance, when the media reported "allegedly racist" comments
about blacks and welfare in his newsletter, presidential candidate
Mike Huckabee responded, "Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks were my
heroes." End of discussion.

Hillary Clinton riled some African-Americans when she said. "Dr.
King's dream of racial equality was only realized when President
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964." That seemed
innocent enough, but many thought she suggested Johnson deserved more
credit than King for the passage of civil-rights legislation.
Clinton's example of King-bating backfired, too.

Memo to the world: African-Americans revere, celebrate and appreciate
everything Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did for the advancement of our
race. We honor the supreme sacrifice he made. However, we don't
genuflect and comply at the mere mention of his name.

King would not have wanted it that way. He fought and died so that
all Americans, especially black people, would have the right to speak
their mind and make their own decisions. That's something that whites
and blacks alike too often forget.

King-baiters usually employ one of three quotes. We've heard them
time and time again: "I have a dream," "the content of our character
not the color of our skin," and "little black boys and little black
girls join hands with little white boys and little white girls."

The endless repetition and focus on these three snippets of words
have reduced one of the 20th century's great thinkers to a few lines
from one speech.

On this holiday honoring him, it would be beneficial to revisit some
of the things he said beyond those in his landmark "I Have a Dream"
speech:

*"Peace is not just the absence of conflict but also the presence of
justice."

Many laud King's call for peace and nonviolence but, when it comes to
the issue of justice, they fall short.

In 2007, the Justice Policy Institute released a report detailing
disparities in drug sentences for whites and blacks in Central
Florida, despite the fact that both races use, sell and transport
illegal drugs at roughly the same rate. Last year, the Jena Six,
Genarlow Wilson and Shaquanda Cotton cases highlighted the inequities
of our justice system in other regions of the country. Despite all
of this, year after year, these discrepancies go unaddressed.

Justice for all is the cornerstone of our democracy. Neither the
United States nor Central Florida will be what it was intended to be
until there is fairness in our courts.

*"There is nothing more dangerous than to build a society with a
large segment of people in that society who feel they have no stake
in it; who feel they have nothing to lose. People who have a stake in
their society protect that society, but when they don't have it,
they unconsciously want to destroy it."

The carnage in our low-income communities is well-documented. The
collateral damage is a loss of a sense of safety for the entire
community, which takes its toll both emotionally and financially
while diminishing our quality of life. There is an extreme sense of
disconnect among residents in disadvantaged communities, particularly
among the youth. Real or imagined, they believe our system is working
against them. Our society needs new and innovative efforts to bring
them into the fold both educationally and economically. We can and we
must do more.

*"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to
the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of
peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. . . . I believe
unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."

The large number of whites supporting Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton's
enormous support among black women and the small but significant
increase in the ranks of black Republicans are testaments to
America's changing attitudes about race. In coming decades, the
unenlightened minds that seek to keep us divided will become extinct.

As King said, "We as a people will get to the promised
land."

Willie Clark of Orlando is a TV producer and host and has a Web site
for urban professionals at clarkmedianet work. com, where he hosts an
Internet radio show on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon. He wrote
this commentary for the Orlando Sentinel.