Jazmyn Clark is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington’s Smart Justice Policy Program Director, with a J.D. from New England Law and a B.A. in English from UC Riverside, she used to be a public defender and an ACLU staff attorney. Bellevue College had her as a keynote speaker last January 14th for the BC MLK Day Keynote Address Event.
In her speech, Dr. Clark spoke about MLK’s vision of “The Beloved Community.”
“The Beloved Community” is a vision of a society that is grounded in justice, compassion and shared responsibility. It is not a perfect utopia, but rather a realistic goal. Poverty, hunger and homelessness are human creations and deemed unnecessary. In “The Beloved Community,” standards of human decency are too high to allow such things. The citizens can not fathom racism or discrimination; there is no bigotry or prejudice. All disputes are resolved peacefully. Love triumphs over hatred; peace prevails over war and military conflict. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood that conflict was inevitable, but he believed that all conflicts could be resolved non-violently and peacefully.
“I do not think of political power as an end. Neither do I think of economic power as an end. They are ingredients in the objective that we seek in life. And I think that the end of that objective is a truly brotherly society, the creation of The Beloved Community.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
She also spoke about the underlying fear and instability we are all feeling these days. She talked about how people are feeling “unmoored, ” how fear tells us that there isn’t enough to go around. Fear tells us safety comes from exclusion, rather than solidarity. It isolates us.
She told listeners how she has spoken to many who feel helpless.
“Nothing I do matters.”
“The system is broken.”
“ I care, but I am too tired.”
She said that being helpless is not a personal failure, but that it is an indication of a lack of community, that you do not need to fix everything, but you do need to be connected to something. That is the best way to rebel: to have community and have hope. Hope is the ultimate act of resistance.
She insisted on what she called “radical micro-practices.” These radical practices include learning people’s names, asking each other, “How are you doing?” Make space for the invisible people. Reflect, “whose pain have I normalized?” Most importantly, interrupt harm. Say, “That is not okay!” Do not stay silent. Do not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia or violence. No one has to do everything, but everyone needs to do something. Democracy is not a spectator sport.
She continued to drive home the idea of community. She suggested joining groups and communities that already exist. Finding a community does not need to be complicated. Anchor yourself locally. “Movements need people of all skills, not just activists. Bring who you are into relationships with others.”
Dr. Clark further suggested checking out the community, Eastside For All. Their mission is to transform East King County into a place where racial, economic and social justice are made possible for communities of color.
Apart from external communities, Bellevue College also has a Social Justice Center located at B207. Every Tuesday, they have “Village Space” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
