Many African-American middle class members are so confused about their role in the civil and human rights events that it has created a problem that needs explanation. Every year some speaker is chosen to speak at some Martin Luther King Day event. In some cases, I wonder why the person chosen was picked when they have no scars from the civil rights movement.

Some in the Black middle-class have tried to reinvent history by claiming they marched with King or with groups they opposed or never supported when that individual or group was “too radical.” Some of the very people that now claim they supported civil rights were actually opposed to King and were running around reporting King’s activity to the police. Some of these old school middle-class thieves have even went so far as to claim that they started Black Student Unions in the 1960s, or created Black Panther-styled breakfast programs, when others went to jail for these activities should receive the credit.

Not all members of the Black middle-class have acted in this despicable fashion, but many continue to make all sorts of claims to honor that is not deserved. These people are benefactors of the real civil rights warriors. You can get an advanced degree and claim you made it on your own, but if you make such a claim you are denying the struggle of those who made it possible for you to get a degree.

The veterans of civil rights movement fought on the frontline and risked their lives for the Black middle-class to exist. The real complaint comes when these middle-class “warriors” lay claim to a status that is not due to them. When we march for King today, many forget those that made it possible.

When putting together a program to honor Dr. King, or any other civil rights warrior, we should remember to select speakers that go beyond personal achievements. We don’t need to select speakers for Civil rights events that have made great strides on a personal level only. Although we should honor personal achievements, this should not be the criteria for civil rights awards or the criteria for the selection of speakers.

This brings into question the idea of “entitlement.” We often honor people without ever mentioning the grassroots people who opened up the opportunity for these forgetful middle-class people. I have seen Black and Mexican-American professors speak at civil rights events and talk about themselves as if the world centered on them.

Many Black middle-class people (often referred to as the Uncle Tom Afritocracy) have no scars that they lay claim to. According to Carlos Richardson, a San Antonio Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee  (SNCC) veteran that was beaten by the police for civil rights activity, “Hanging up a piece of paper means nothing to me, but show me the scars from where they have beaten your butt for your work in the movement, from where you tried to integrate a restaurant or school, and I will salute you, otherwise you can take that degree and roll it into a cylinder and . . . .”

If one does not give credit to those who fought for your rights, then you have forgotten the roots of your success. Being the first Black Astronaut, the first Black mayor of a town, or the first Black graduate of a particular school, is a great accomplishment. There is no doubt about that.

But to claim an entitlement or a claim to honor, without acknowledgement of those who made it possible is the height of selfishness. The ones who have done this are the new schools Toms, and they are still out there. Those that are still alive, and who had their heads busted open, or arrested, need to be honored first before we honor others during civil rights events.

We should read the words of those that died at every civil rights event, and demand that speakers do this also. Those that died should be honored first, and those that are left should be the key note speakers before we honor those who have achieved great things on the shoulders of the real warriors.