Monday I had the privilege of witnessing the 23rd Annual MLK Day Justice Program at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Milwaukee hosted by the Milwaukee Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Coalition founded by Julie Enslow, Brian Verdin, and the late, great George Martin. Many years I have attended, the room was so packed that it was standing room only. Considering it was about 5 degrees out and so icy that the schools were still closed on Tuesday, it was not as well attended this year. However, there were probably about 100 people including a handful of Green activists.
Fox 6 was there recording the event, but they left before one of the most important highlights of the program, though they probably caught the banner behind the speakers calling for peace in Palestine. The program had a panel of elders who could share their personal experiences with Dr. King as they marched for Civil Rights. Joyce Ellwanger shared that she joined the Montgomery march on the outskirts of town. They walked with about fifteen thousand people singing and chanting. She shared that people came out at their doorways and front porches and clapped, made power signs, put hoses out to the sidewalk to get the marchers water, and some joined the march along the way. They ended up right in front of Dexter Avenue Church a block away. George Wallace refused to meet with them. Dr. King gave a speech about how long it would take:
“How long until we get justice…not long because No lie can live forever.”
Jarrett English asked the panel what Martin would say about events of the day, particularly about the horrific situation in Gaza. What should regular ppl do, and what is the path forward for peace?”
Joe Ellwanger said Dr. King would tell Hamas and Israel that violence is not the answer. King would say the 3 most demonic forces in our culture are materialism, racism, militarism. Revenge begets revenge. He would be calling for a ceasefire. He would support any organization that takes a strong stand for a ceasefire and moving toward a workable solution for long range sustainability. Both groups (Israelis and Palestinians) need a society with equal rights, equal protections, etc. He would think of it like the European colonizers: Israel treats Palestine similarly and it needs to be brought to an end.
Joyce said, “I think Dr. King might have been at the Hague with South Africa today.” The attendees cheered at this statement.
Lauryn Cross, a young Milwaukee activist helping to emcee the event with Mr. English, read King’s statement from Mother Jones Magazine about the 1967 six day war. They reported King’s words on ABC Sunday in which he stated that “Israel will need to give up the conquered territory.”
Five groups who have been working for peace for Palestinians were also recognized during the program, and each had the opportunity to say a few words. The speaker from Jewish Voices for Peace dedicated the award to Gaza, Palestine, and to leaders like George Martin. She said, “Zionism is not Judaism. It is the fourth of the triplet king spoke against (materialism, racism and militarism). Anti Zionism is not antisemitism. Stop weaponizing antisemitism to kill Palestinians.”
Near the end of the program, there were the following action items: Students for a Democratic Society is part of the Coalition to March on the Republican National Convention July 15th. Greater Milwaukee Green Party is also part of the coalition, and an even broader one led by Green Party leader and renowned housing activist Cheri Honkala with the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign. They plan to march on the RNC, but also march all the way to Chicago to the Democratic National Convention as well, August 19th, in order to call out the duopoly and its crimes against humanity. Our own Pam Richards spoke on behalf of Peace Action about actions they are taking. She conveyed her outrage at our politicians for their refusal to act. Peace Action had rallied at Gwen Moore’s office about a week ago and were asked to leave on threat of arrest. The planned to deliver a letter to her office Tuesday at noon presenting the eighty-five page document of charges from South Africa regarding Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians. Peace Action’s letter demands that the U.S. end its complicity in genocide by calling for the end of military and weapons aid to Israel.
Another notable part of the program was that Julie Enslow and Brian Verdin honored Green Party elder, George Martin, who was a co-founder with the other two of the Milwaukee MLK Jr. Coalition twenty-three years ago. Brian shouted out George Martin’s involvement in the Green Party and repeated some of Martin’s favorite Green chants for peace and ecology. Julie remembered his national and international peace work, his work on healthcare access earlier in his life, and work on climate change in his final years. George was just a kid when Dr. King marched on Washington. He just happened to end up feet from Dr. King at the front on the steps of the national mall that day.
Finally, Brian Verdin spoke about King’s militant organizing. He said that whenever there is a vacuum in organizing, we must step in to fill it. Dr king spoke about not being mesmerized by uncertainty. The greatest purveyor of violence was our own government, and he called for a revolution of values. Dr. King said we must be prepared to match actions with words. We all must protest, and he called for the fierce urgency of now.
The Greater Milwaukee Greens, with our deep roots in the Civil Rights Movement, have Dr. King’s calls to action in the fabric of our organization. Our own platform recognizes the importance of justice in the fight for peace. Due to the 2024 election season, we have multiple opportunities to advocate for peace and justice using electoral means by giving Milwaukeeans peace candidates to challenge the pro-war duopoly. We call for state and federal congressional candidates to take up this call to action. But Greens go beyond waiting every 2-4 years to advocate common sense peace policy. Past and present Green voters and Green organizers actively participate in so many community organizations and efforts to fulfill that urgency of now for the vast majority of people who can’t wait four years to get their basic needs met. There is always so much more to be done! So join us in 2024 to help us create the world we want with peace and justice at the center.