As a native of Georgia, resident of metro Atlanta and ADOS (American Descendant of Slavery), Dr. Martin Luther King's dream has not been my reality. Born and raised in rural Georgia to a teenage mother, I am the first of three family members to receive a Bachelor's Degree. As a child, I knew all too well the ADOS struggle. I remember being told far too many times that "we don't have it" and "we can't do it" but when I looked around, white people seemed to have it all. Now I know why.
Dr. King's dream has been unfulfilled in black America and reparations is necessary. Historically through slavery and systemically through black codes, jim crow, convict leasing, redlining and mass incarceration; this is just the tip of the iceberg of what America has done to gain its economic power over black people. America has feasted off the labor and accumulated wealth of ADOS and a new generation of activism is on the rise with a call for reparations.
This weekend, hundreds of activists from around the country, including myself, gathered at the St. Stephen Baptist Church in Louisville with one thing in mind: to handle Dr. King's unfinished business. In one of his last recorded videos, Dr. King made it clear how America had under gird white people with an "economic floor" but told black America to "lift himself by his own bootstraps". Dr. King then boldly proclaimed "we coming to get our check", exactly what the ADOS movement intends to do.
The 2019 ADOS Conference was packed with data, both current and historical, along with inspirational and dynamic speakers such as Antonio Moore, Yvette Carnell, Dr. Kevin Cosby, Dr. Cornell West and a host of others, including the 2020 Presidential Candidate, Marianne Williamson. This first ADOS Conference was a huge success and the ADOS movement is definitely the next cog in the wheel to handle Dr. King's unfinished business with a call for reparations...
Learn more about ADOS at www.ADOS101.com ....
Hear Martin Luther King Jr's speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLV5y4utPKI