Social Comentary on Rotary International commemorating the Childrens Marches of 1963 the day after May Day

So, I happen to go to Birmingham Rotary Club today to listen to a speaker. It happened to also be May Day. The international holiday for workers rights to commemorate the Chicago Hayfield Market Riots of 1886 where they were peacefully protesting for labor rights. I actually very much enjoyed the speaker. It felt particularly good to hear what was said to that type of audience on May Day. It was the person who was the head person liquidating assets for the Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy in Asia. The largest Bankruptcy in History. Six times larger than the 2nd biggest bankruptcy, Worldcom. A person (this is the bad part) who actually had a small hand is dismantling Glass Steagall. But, through his lessons learned is telling the largest Rotary in the world "the markets are run by greed" and "we need to reinstate Glass Steagall" due to his experiences with the Lehman Bankruptcy.

I can get behind that.

Anyway. Before he spoke, I almost choked. The President of Rotary was telling an entirely white audience of bankers and CEO's from Mountain Brooke to participate in a commemorative march tomorrow to honor the Children Marches from 1963. I am sorry, there were people of color in the room, it is just that other than about four people of color (who were only there as guests from the Civil Rights Institute to honor the head of the Civil Rights Institute who was sitting at the front table due to the march tomorrow), every person of color was either a server or bus man and woman. I am sure that was the exact dream MLK was talking about, right?

Backtrack 50 years ago, this was the exact audience and audiences of the like that would have been a part of the White Citizens Councils. That were denouncing Martin Luther King, James Bevel, Wyatt Tee Walker, etc, and the Children's Marches. This type of audience is the same type of audience who paid policemen to work to dismantle Occupy around the country by using Tear Gas, Pepper Spray, and police batons (sound similar to a water hoses at all?). The same audience that told me to "get a job" when I marched in an immigration rally against the racist bill HB56. The same audience that has always worked to dismantle the labor movement (such as the Haymarket Square action in 1886), including the Poor Peoples Campaign by the SCLC, which was the organization Martin Luther King was the president of and organized Birmingham under, and encouraged Regan to dismantle the unions. The same audience that always denounces direct action of any kind for any cause. And the same audience who helps vouch for racist policies which include gentrification of Birmingham. And you want them to March to commemorate the Direct Action by the footsoldiers during the Children's Marches where people got hosed down and dogs let out on them to fight White Supremacy?

Oh no. I don't think I can get behind that.