I went to the local pharmacy yesterday to get a card for the holiday, but was turned off by the racially discriminating options. My hope was to send a card to my friends and family that inspired the same kind of hopes and dreams that Martin Luther King Jr. himself brought to so many.

Unfortunately, all I found was Hallmark and the other generic greeting card companies trying to put a cute spin on the holiday. Just so you know, they failed. The first card I came across had three smiling African Americans on cover under the caption, “Just happy to be here.” This was shocking enough in itself, but the inside of the card left me further aghast. I will try to explain the contents as gently as I can.

For years there has been a variety of sentiments and stereotypes in association with African Americans. I do not want to go through them all, but will admit they are better athletes than the Anglo Saxons. Regrettably, many negative stereotypes have been accepted as truths even though the sciences have proved them to be false. This particular card chose to ignore such findings and rehash one of the tired and overused labels.

On the inside of the card there was a picture of a large set of lips puckered with the words, “It’s MLK day, give me a kiss” slapped on the bottom of the card. It was all I could do not to tear up all the copies of the card on the spot, but I knew that would be going against the teachings of Dr. King so I resisted. Instead, I’ve begun implementing a grass roots boycott of this pharmacy.

And just so you know, my Uncle Thomas has the biggest lips I’ve ever seen and he’s white. My other uncle, Jonas, likes to joke that he nearly suffocates his wife every time he kisses her. My mother says that Jonas is just jealous because he never got married.

Holiday review by Mark Baumer