“Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Why should I care about the wellbeing of Black lives as a Chinese woman?
Why do I read about news in California while living in Massachusetts?
Why would I focus efforts on changing the status quo in a small town when there are bigger problems in cities?
These questions indicate that there is some sort of hierarchy to what is more important, more deserving of attention, more relevant, and more racist.
This is what a lot of people get wrong – there is no hierarchy.
As Dr. King says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
We are all connected.
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