In honor of MLK

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In honor of MLK

Submitted by Rick on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 7:40pm.

Exerpts from "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence."

Over the past two years, as I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart, as I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. At the heart of their concerns this query has often loomed large and loud: Why are you speaking about war, Dr. King? Why are you joining the voices of dissent? Peace and civil rights don't mix, they say. Aren't you hurting the cause of your people, they ask? And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment or my calling. Indeed, their questions suggest that they do not know the world in which they live.
[snip]
For those who ask the question, "Aren't you a civil rights leader?" and thereby mean to exclude me from the movement for peace, I have this further answer. In 1957 when a group of us formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, we chose as our motto: "To save the soul of America." We were convinced that we could not limit our vision to certain rights for black people, but instead affirmed the conviction that America would never be free or saved from itself unless the descendants of its slaves were loosed completely from the shackles they still wear. In a way we were agreeing with Langston Hughes, that black bard of Harlem, who had written earlier:

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!

Now, it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read Vietnam. It can never be saved so long as it destroys the deepest hopes of men the world over. So it is that those of us who are yet determined that America will be are led down the path of protest and dissent, working for the health of our land.

We sure could use Dr. King now.

Rick's blog
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Amen. In Dr. Martin Luther

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 8:32pm.

Amen.

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we had an example of a tremendous human being, someone we can all look to as a role model and a visionary. It is up to us to take the Reverend's words and assimilate them into the core of our being - each of us - so that the thoughts and feelings manifest in our daily actions instinctively.

I think, in a manner of speak

Submitted by The Rambling Taoist on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 9:28pm.

I think, in a manner of speaking, it's dangerous to wax eloquently about the need for Dr. King today. The great man is dead and has been for close to 40 years. Focusing too strongly on his legacy, focuses our attention too strongly on the past.

Today, we need new leaders to take the reins as Martin did in the 1950s. These new spokespeople must exemplify the same kind of charisma and dedication to nonviolent ideals that King possessed, BUT they must encompass more. MLK rose up as a leader of Black America and, only later, became a beacon of morality and ethics for people of all colors.

Today we face a challenge that goes far beyond discrimination and bigotry of one race or ethnic group. Not only must we bridge the black-white divide, but the continued vilification of American Indians, Latinos, anyone who looks halfway Arabic and the poor of all colors and hues.

On top of this tapestry, we must also deal with a presidential administration that has run amok and is jeopardizing not only American freedom, but world safety.

We face an ever-growing challenge. The task falls squarely on our shoulders, not on the shoulders of a great leader who died so many years ago.

I don't believe that one excl

Submitted by Sarah on Tue, 01/17/2006 - 9:12am.

I don't believe that one excludes the other. Celebrating and honoring our ancestors, carrying their work into the present renewed, all this can happen while also being here now.

Sarah, I certainly do not di

Submitted by The Rambling Taoist on Tue, 01/17/2006 - 11:23am.

Sarah, I certainly do not disagree with your point. My concern is that far too many people lament the fact that we don't have an MLK for this generation. Such folks wax eloquently about PAST glory days to the point of surrendering our current battle.

I do hear you on that, part o

Submitted by Sarah on Tue, 01/17/2006 - 11:37am.

I do hear you on that, part of learning from the past needs to include moving forwards.

Any ideas on how this can happen, do we need new charismatic leaders to step up? Do we already have leaders that our mainstream media tends to ignore?

One of the issues I've been w

Submitted by The Rambling Taoist on Wed, 01/18/2006 - 3:14pm.

One of the issues I've been working over the past decade is the atomization of the left. We have scores of potential leaders for an overarching movement, but most tend to think in terms of their main issue[s]. For example, too often enviro groups tend to be uninformed re labor and/or social justice groups and vice versa. There seems to be a general disconnect between all of these various progressive causes. The reason I favor a charismatic leader is that we need someone -- a person through strength of personality and conviction -- who can bring various voices together into one unifying movement. Unfortunately, the Right seems to have this down pat.

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