This is an open letter to the Retail Industry
of the United States!
Today we, as Americans, honor the life and remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a solemn day because Dr. King lived his life to fight the oppression and the racism that plagued America during the 1950s and 1960s. He gave speeches, lead marches and even went to prison in an effort to break this curse that had a stronghold on the American culture from the beginning of slavery. He had a dream where people of all colors and backgrounds would come together and live in peace and harmony. Unfortunately, King’s life ended prematurely by an assassin’s bullet in April 1968 while he was in Memphis, fighting for the rights of striking sanitation workers.
Room 306: The room where Martin Luther King stayed and the balcony where he was assassinated.
Today is not a day when you, as the retailers of America, need to have specials deals and sales in your stores. It is not a day for a “Holiday Sale!” You do not need to mail fliers that are labeled as “Martin Luther King Day Specials.” You do not need to send emails with “Martin Luther King Day Coupons.” I don’t need another excuse to save 50 percent on that winter coat that you could not sale over Christmas, or during the New Year’s clearance sale.
With the racism and oppression that is so deeply rooted in American culture, it is a mockery to King’s Dream and his fight to encourage people to head to the mall to find the latest deals. We, as Americans, do not need to be shopping. We need to come together to break these strongholds and find a way where Dr. King’s Dream is no longer a dream, but a reality.
We need to be going to Libraries, Museums or other Cultural Institutions where King celebrations are being held. if people of all colors and backgrounds could sit down and find the thread that binds us together as Americans. It is a day to come together in peace and not finding the pair of shoes at a rock-bottom price.
The future of America is dependent on working and living together as one America, not how much we can save on flannel bed sheets.
Hey Retailers, save the specials and sales for another day. What about Groundhog’s Day? How about that day?
If the Groundhog says we are having six more weeks of winter, put the winter coats on sale. If the Groundhog says spring is on the way, the put the garden supplies on sale.
But not today! Not Martin Luther King Day! His life and his legacy is much too important to be used with a clearance event at your store.
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