Why the Survival of American Democracy Depends on ACTIONING Dr. King's Words!

DONZEL LEGGETT: This is The ARCC of Change with Donzel Leggett, a podcast from the Anti-Racism Commitment Coalition, an organization dedicated to eradicating racism and hate and spreading anti-racism. Listen as Donzel talks about the relevant topics that will inspire you and help build your capability to take action and change the world. Because none of us are doing enough as long as racism still exists. And now, here's your host, Donzel Leggett.

DONZEL LEGGETT: Hello and welcome to episode six of The ARCC of Change with Donzel Leggett. In this special episode honoring the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I will once again raise the alarm of the imminent threat against the survival of American democracy. I will also reiterate how the root of this threat is the division of racism. And finally, I will describe how we must defeat our collective unwillingness to do what it takes to both reckon with and eradicate racism once and for all to save America.

Now, let's get started with our show.

So I am Donzel Leggett, host of The ARCC of Change podcast and the founder of the Anti-Racism Commitment Coalition, or ARCC. ARCC is a coalition of dedicated people committed to eradicating racism and spreading anti-racism throughout our communities, our countries, and the world. This is The ARCC of Change.

Now, this is a special episode celebrating the life and legacy of the late, great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Now, many people have this romantic image of Dr. King today as the champion of nonviolent protest. Obviously, one of the most gifted orators ever. A man who represented unconditional love and sacrifice. He has a vision of many of what peace is all about. And patience for change. He's remembered as a Nobel Prize winner. The leader of the Birmingham bus boycott, the leader of the Selma March for voting rights. And globally, he's viewed as a symbol of racial and civil rights. He gave powerful speeches. And along with his letters and papers and other written materials, he has produced some of the best and most thought-provoking and inspirational quotes of all time.

But unfortunately, at this time of the year, which is Dr. King's holiday here in the United States, some people love to use Dr. King's quotes about peace, love, unity to justify their inaction and get people to forget about their racist overtones or actions, decisions. I really hate it when people do this and try to represent Dr. King's words in a way to make them look better and try to cover up the things that they know they're not doing to support anti-racism or to stop racism. It's clearly hypocrisy at its best or probably at its worst.

And then there's the "I Have a Dream" speech and line. This line is played over and over again at this time of the year. Again, giving people this view of Dr. King is more of a caricature of someone who just gave that one speech. And that only uttered that one line. And this picture of him of, again, unity, love, and patience for change. If you really studied Dr. King, you'd know that this could not be further from the truth. Yes, Dr. King believed in nonviolence and peace. Don't get me wrong. And he was a guy who ensured peace.

That he talked about doing things in a way to bring about change nonviolently and peacefully. But don't get it wrong, he was a real soldier for revolutionary change. He was viewed as a radical at the time, investigated by the FBI. Because he was a soldier of revolutionary change of American values, for social justice and civil rights, and for the survival of real democracy.

See, Dr. King once said, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly." Most people that are aware of this quote, some people know it, some people don't, believe that he was really just talking about social consciousness, societal fairness, or civil rights. But in my opinion, he was warning about the eventual downfall of democracy, American democracy to be specific, if this was not understood by the majority and real action taken. He was talking about the future of America and the fact that American democracy cannot survive long term until racism is eradicated. He saw the truth that democracy can only survive long term if that democratic society works for all people. He saw this clearly in America. That that garment of mutuality was ripping and tearing itself apart from racism. He saw that racism was the destiny kryptonite of American democracy. He saw that if racism prevailed, America would fail.

So when you think of Dr. King today, remember that he was not only fighting for the conscience of America or the soul of America. He was fighting for the deliverance of equality for all, but also for the survival of America itself and for a free democracy. He was not just a civil rights hero and a prophet of peace. He was one who was a prophet of patriotism. He cared so much about the survival of America that he decided to stand up, speak out, and take action even on issues like the Vietnam War and institutional poverty to try to wake up those who could make a difference to save it. And he sacrificed his life. Unfortunately, Dr. King's warning is still not being heeded as tens of millions of, let's say, good people in America still think that ending racism is just a nice thing to do. Still others think it's the right thing to do. But very few understand that it is a must do if America is to survive.

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DONZEL LEGGETT: Dr. King once said that nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. Now let me explain what I think he meant by this and how it pertains to today.

Sincere ignorance, as I see it, is knowing that you are ill-informed, unaware, and yes, ignorant about something. But you are sincerely willing to keep it that way so as not to have to face the authentic reality of the situation. It's like that saying when, you know, hey, my kids are at college. I don't want to know what they're doing. Because once this knowledge is known, you can't unknow it. Then your character is challenged and you have to make a choice to either do something or decide not to. Many good people would rather not have to make this choice about racism. Because they will lose plausible deniability. "Hey, I didn't know anything. I didn't know that was happening. That's why I didn't do anything because I didn't know about it." Now, conscientious stupidity to me is about being well-informed, very aware, knowing the facts, and yet deciding to do nothing or something that makes no sense. These are again good people who make important business decisions daily using information. Critical life decisions that are based on looking at facts, using their judgment. Yet on decisions of race and hate, it's like they turn their knowledge, their common sense and their intelligence off. They make such obvious poor decisions that that grade school children would look at it and see the obvious flaw immediately. These are the 80% of Republicans who still approve, after the insurrection, still approve of the job 45 has done as president. How many children do you think would approve? This is the 75% of Republicans, three and four, that say they have little confidence in the United States elections and that they reflect the will of the people. And yes, these are the 74% of Republicans, again, three and four, who still believe the debunked lie that Joe Biden did not win the election. This is the same lie that 45 used to incite that attempted coup and insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021. This insurrection happening was not surprising to me. It's been brewing and in the making for the last four years at least. Anyone who's been paying attention and who broke down their walls of ignorance in their mind and rejected conscientious stupidity also knew that this was coming at some point. I talked about this in episode three. "45 Is Out. What Now?" I talked about the fact that the Republican Party is no more. And that Trumpism had taken over, and that this was a serious threat to the sovereignty of the United States. I said that it was very dangerous that 45 was spreading this baseless allegation and lie of voter fraud and saying that he was cheated. I said that we should be very concerned about the over 72 million people who voted for 45 that actually believe him and this preposterous lie and that many want to support him not leaving office peacefully. I said we should be very careful about this. I talked about how they were already, a lot of 45 supporters, coming out in force. This was back in December in places like Maricopa County, Arizona, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lansing, Michigan, St. Paul, Minnesota, and other state capitals. Of course, this all came to a head with the January 6th, 2021 insurrection and invasion of the United States Capitol. And made two things crystal clear to anyone paying attention who has erased their ignorance and rejected conscientious stupidity. Number one, the United States and democracy are under attack by Trumpism. And number two, Trumpism is fueled by racism and white supremacy. You would think that this would have woken everyone up. Well, you be the judge. Only one in three Americans saw the insurrection as a crisis. Just 54 percent of Democrats. That's bad. But it's nowhere near the alarming 20 percent of Republicans. And worse yet, only 13 percent of Republicans.

Placed the majority of the blame on 45 for inciting the insurrection, which he has now been impeached for, making him the only president ever to be impeached twice. So 60 years after Dr. King warned us, and even after the first organized insurrection incited by a U.S. President, the first invasion of our Capitol since the War of 1812, and the first time the Confederate flag has flown inside the United States Capitol, many good people are still maintaining their sincere ignorance while others are continuing to stand behind their conscientious stupidity all while American democracy stands on the brink of collapse.

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DONZEL LEGGETT: Dr. King once said, "Intelligence plus character, that is the goal of true education." Look, all of us have to continually break down our walls of ignorance. All vestiges of it. And all of us have to challenge our moments of conscientious stupidity. All of us have to. We all have to transform ourselves to end racism, to spread anti-racism, and save American democracy. This is what ARCC is all about. Transforming yourself and your networks, the people closest to you, to become anti-racist and to spread anti-racism. This is what we need to save democracy. This is the inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny that Dr. King was talking about.

I introduced the ARCC process of transforming yourself to be an anti-racist a couple of episodes ago. And it starts with first, erasing your ignorance about racism and hate. And second, educating yourself about anti-racism. And third, building the character to stand up, speak out, and take action to spread it. So it starts with erasing your ignorance and stupidity about racism, using your common sense and morality. And as I said in episode five, what is powerful enough to displace morality and common sense in the minds of good people? Those in power, like 45 and his enablers, using it to create division by leveraging ignorance and fear. This is a really important distinction to understand to break down your walls of ignorance about race. The superficial racial differences and stereotypes and the racism that it drives are not common sense. They're not natural to us. We're not born thinking these things. And they're not moral. But they are logical when you understand that they are pushed on us to divide us by those in pursuit of power. It is that simple. Racism was created for the few to obtain and sustain power over the many. And this cannot coexist with a true democracy. So erasing ignorance and stupidity is common sense. But then you must be educated on what to do to transform and spread anti-racism.

I've heard many speeches today. Today's MLK Day. From business leaders, civic leaders, politicians, CEOs, politicians. Saying we have to listen to our friends of color to educate us and tell us what to do. Look, this is wrong. Yes, everyone needs to listen. But you need to educate yourself. You need to break down your walls of ignorance yourself. And most importantly, you have to develop the character and courage to act yourself.

Dr. King wrote in his 1963 "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" that "I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the white citizen's counselor or the Ku Klux Klan-er, but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice." Look, for racism to be defeated once and for all, for democracy to be saved in America, the white moderate, meaning those who I've referred to as good people, must decide to transform themselves and transform their friends and families. All of us have to play a role, and we will. Black people and other people of color have demonstrated for both equality and for democracy for over a century in this country. And for all those demonstrations, even the demonstrations and protests that you could say turned violent, turned into riots for many reasons. The bottom line is not one time did any of those protests turn into organized insurrection. Even after 400 years of slavery and another 100 years of Jim Crow and another 50, 60 years of mistreatment and racism, black people have never attempted an insurrection on the United States Capitol. In fact, black people and other people of color in their protests and demonstrations, many led and planned by Dr. King himself were to force America to actually live up to its creed of democracy and the Constitution, not to destroy it. There have been a lot of white people who would march in protest with them, but many were labeled as liberals and far left. Just like 60 years ago with Dr. King, today the white moderate, for the most part, has remained on the sideline. So the question is, why aren't more of you speaking out? The so-called good people, the professionals, the doctors, the CEOs, the homemakers, the PTO presidents, accountants, small business owners, executives, administrators, real estate agents, salespeople, public servants, etc. All of you know better. And you also know that if you did speak up, you would be heard and listened to because you have experience. A platform. The question is, are you willing to let democracy fail? Is that what you want your legacy to be? I asked myself those same questions. And I chose to be the person who speaks out, who stands up and takes action. Who puts myself on the line, my career on the line to drive the Arc of Change.

And eradicate racism and hate and spread anti-racism to try to save this country.

I've been pushing back very loudly and publicly ever since November of 2016. And I've been talking to everyone and anyone who will listen that they must reject Trumpism. And racism and spread anti-racism if they want to save this country.

But there's only so far I can go without the white moderates stepping up to educate themselves and to build the character and courage to challenge racism and spread anti-racism and save America.

Like the ARCC member who's been working on influencing her husband to take action. He'd been working really hard to erase his ignorance and educate himself about anti-racism, but found it hard to muster the courage to challenge his family on their anti-racist beliefs. Until last week when he allowed the January 6th insurrection to help further break down his walls of ignorance and wake him up to a point where he had the confidence and character to challenge his family and one of the closest members of his family about racism and the fact that he won't stand for it any longer. Or like the business associate I wrote a letter to imploring him to change his language and specifically call out the insurrection.

And white supremacy, and to take aggressive action to reject them and spread anti-racism. I pushed this leader to publicly denounce the white supremacy that was clear to anyone watching the January 6th insurrection of the obvious differential soft treatment and even apparent complicity of the Capitol Police, some of the Capitol Police, with the predominantly white, treasonous, violent insurrectionists that they received compared to the peaceful BLM protesters all last summer.

I took this letter and sent a copy of it to one of my friends, another ARCC member, who was also a friend of this business leader. Her initial response to me was to defend the business leader and say that, give him a break. He's got a good heart. However, 30 minutes later, she contacted me to apologize in her own words, say, "I recognize my own racism. I dismissed clear racial insensitivity of a white business leader and tried to make it OK." She told me that after she had sent me that message, she decided to go back and read another chapter in the book White Fragility. And a light bulb went off for her, breaking down another wall of ignorance about racism. Then she had the character to admit it to herself and more importantly, do something about it, which included telling me and sharing with her friends and colleagues to help them begin to transform as well.

Or one of my friends who is a Republican moderate. And has been on a journey of breaking down his walls of ignorance and educating himself about anti-racism. I've been helping him, yes. But I can't be accountable to erase his ignorance and educate him and make him take action. He has to take that accountability himself. And he has been. He's been reading and researching. He's been using ARCC resources, visiting the ARCC website, listening to all the ARCC of Change podcasts, and building his confidence. And a few weeks ago, he took action. He was at a table with some acquaintances who started talking about some topics that he did not feel were right, that were subtly racist. He stood up and he told them, "You all are talking as if everyone at this table is on the same team. You're wrong. We need to change." Each one of these situations were different. Each one of them had a different method of how the person decided to stand up, speak out, and take action. But they all illustrate what is needed to end racism. White moderates must break down their walls of ignorance about racism. They must educate themselves about anti-racism. And they must do the tough work of taking action to spread anti-racism. Most importantly, with your friends, your family, and your network. Then your confidence will grow.

The ARCC of Change podcast is brought to you by the Anti-Racism Commitment Coalition. Visit us at joinarcc.org(opens in new tab) to learn more about ARCC and join our movement.

DONZEL LEGGETT: Dr. King once said that "We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life in history, there is such a thing as being too late. There is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action." So it is now or never for you, the white moderate, to follow Dr. King's lead and act with the fierce urgency of now while also proving him wrong. That the white moderate will step up for justice at the expense of order and peace. At ARCC, we give you an avenue to do just that. Join our coalition by committing to stand up, speak out, and take action against Trumpism and all public officials who still continue to support it, to remain silent in the face of it or refuse to take a stand against it. Continuing to undermine and weaken our democracy by spreading and believing in this lie that the election was not fair and that Joe Biden did not win. And convince those in your network to do the same and stand against that. Commit to transforming yourself and all in your network to become proud anti-racist and to hold yourself and those in your network accountable to do so. Make racism and hate unacceptable for anyone around you. Commit to continuously educating yourself about the true history of the United States and its people. Commit to always speaking out about racism and take action to eradicate it and replace it with anti-racism, no matter the audience.

Commit to always voting and trusting our election process as truly democratic.

Commit to using your money as a tool to promote anti-racism by supporting businesses that publicly take action to drive anti-racism and use your money as a weapon against those who remain silent on issues of race or support racism and hate by boycotting their businesses. And commit to supporting ARCC publicly by joining and displaying your picture and commitment statement on the coalition page to provide support, inspiration to the next prospective ARCC member. And of course, donate to our cause to help us extend our reach and further our mission.

So commit to join ARCC now. And become part of the movement that will help save democracy in the United States and change the world. By spreading anti-racism with the arc of exponential network growth.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. And it is always right to do what is right." So step into the light. And wake up to the clear and present danger of racism and insurrection, and do what is right to end it and save democracy.

Visit us at joinarcc.org(opens in new tab) to learn more about ARCC. Donate to our cause and join the movement that will change the world.

DONZEL LEGGETT: To find The Arc of Change podcast with Donzel Leggett and learn more about the Anti-Racism Commitment Coalition or ARCC, please visit us at joinarcc.org(opens in new tab). You can also subscribe to The Arc of Change with Donzel Leggett on your favorite podcast hosting sites.

I greatly look forward to our next episode, an opportunity to inspire you to become part of the movement that will change the world by eradicating racism once and for all. Until next time, stay safe and continue to ask yourself, "Am I doing enough?" And remember that none of us are doing enough as long as racism and hate still exist.

Thanks for listening and goodbye.

The ARCC of Change podcast with Donzel Leggett is brought to you by the Anti-Racism Commitment Coalition. To learn more about ARCC, donate to our cause, and join the coalition, visit joinarcc.org(opens in new tab). Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. And share this podcast to help spread our mission to change the world by ending racism once and for all.

Thanks for listening. Until next time, stay safe and be inspired.