Listen to the extended, hour-long interview with Chuck Hicks:
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(In this extended interview, Hicks discussed growing up in Mississippi in a family deeply involved with the civil rights movement, which will be the focus of an upcoming piece.)
“I think the [Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial] is a tribute not just to Dr. King, but to all the men and women of all races and creeds and colors who fought for the freedom, the privileges, [and for] democracy for everybody in this country,” said Chuck Hicks, who grew up in Bogalusa, Louisiana during the civil rights movement and met King a couple times.
“I remember one time asking [King] in Mississippi if he ever got scared and he said, ‘Well, I think every man gets scared, but you continue to do what you believe in.’ And that sort of stuck with me,” said Hicks.
While praising King, Hicks wants to make sure that the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement are not lost in the shuffle. “If it had just been for King or if it had just been for James Farmer and Ralph Abernathy and Stokely Carmichael… and the other well-known civil rights leaders, there would not have been a movement,” he said.
The MLK Jr. Memorial Dedication was initially scheduled for Aug. 28, the 48th anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, but Hurricane Irene caused it to be postponed till Oct. 16.
As co-chair of the DC Host Committee, Hicks has helped organize events (already under way) surrounding Sunday’s dedication, including a march “promoting awareness of the District’s struggle for self-determination, autonomy and statehood,” according to the DC Host Committee website.
Saturday’s statehood march begins at Freedom Plaza, where I sat down for an extended interview with Hicks on Oct. 6, Day One of the plaza’s occupation. Hicks sees the Occupy Wall Street movement’s arrival in the nation’s capital as a good thing. “I think it’s just an incredible opportunity for us here in D.C. to join this movement,” he said.
District residents experience, twice over, the lack of democracy being protested, explained Hicks. “We can’t make any decisions because Congress runs everything we do because we’re not a state and we don’t have any rights. And then, secondly, Wall Street and the banks control Congress… so we ought to be a part of this.”
“If we can be a part of [the Occupy Movement, then] they’ll join our fight,” said Hicks. “[The fight for statehood] is an injustice they can relate to.”
Related Links:
DC Host Committee
DC Statehood – Yes We Can!
OccupyDC.org
Related Stories:
With MLK Now Residing in the District, There May Not Be Room for Walmart, 9/1/11
From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy DC, 10/5/11