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    MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR: A MAN WHO MADE A DIFFERNCE

    The United States of America has honored only four men in history by declaring the day of their birth a national day of celebration - Jesus Christ of Nazareth, widely accepted as the father of all mankind; President George Washington, the father of this nation; Christopher Columbus, the man credited with discovering the Americas; and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whose forebears were brought to these shores in chains.

    That says a lot about this humble Black man.  In spite of the fact that Dr. King began his life burdened by the inherent disadvantages of being blessed with Black skin in a Jim Crow environment, his words, his intellect, and his deeds so inspired the heart and soul of humanity that America saw fit to set aside a day for this nation - this world - to thank God that he was allowed to walk among us. His was a soul with such strength that it served to lift the rest of mankind to a higher level of  humanity. That's not only a testament to one Black man's ability to pull himself up from the dust of his humble beginnings, it's also a testament to the capacity of his people to meet the test of greatness.
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    When one considers that even today some are engaged in a raging controversy over the intellectual capacity of the African American people, it only further emphasizes Dr. King s stature in this society, which speaks with flawless eloquence to the boundless potential of the African American intellect.
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    Admitted to Morehouse College at 15 years of age and a Nobel Peace Prize winner by age 34, Dr. King rose to become one of the most honored men in this country s history. By his untimely death at age 39, it was clear that his was to be one of those rare voices that would speak to all men, for all time. Long after the bones of his detractors have turned to dust, this unassuming young man's name will continue to reverberate throughout the ages.
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    That was the legacy of Martin Luther King. Through his moral strength and tenacity he demonstrated to America that the Black man was much more than just a beast of burden, and through his intellect, and his ability to personify all of black America, he inspired the world to embrace his cause. Thus, the legacy of Martin Luther King - like the man himself - stands as a monument to the depth and breadth of the African American culture.
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    Too often we focus on the most negative aspects of the African American, while we totally ignore the great strides that are being made by the vast majority of Black people. We pay special attention to the relatively few violent Black criminals, while we ignore the millions of Black law abiding citizens; we focus on the undereducated in the Black community, while we turn a blind eye to the hordes of African American students and professionals who are flooding our colleges and universities; we ve become experts on those African Americans who are a burden on our society, while we remain blissfully ignorant of the multitude of African American doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, laborers, musicians, writers, architects, homemakers - and yes, now a president - who contribute their unique talents to making this a better world.
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    These are the people - the people who Martin cherished - who we truly honor in any tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King.  Because as we honor Martin and Malcolm, and all of the other nameless Black heroes who have struggled, and in many cases given their lives to move our people forward, we cannot help but honor ourselves.  That is the true meaning of Martin's legacy.
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    In any tribute to Dr. King, we also celebrate a new culture - a culture conceived in pain, delivered into turmoil, and baptized in a sea of deprivation. We celebrate a culture that is only now in the Spring of its development, yet, a culture that has managed to combine the wisdom, strength, and spirituality of its African origins, with the sophistication, knowledge, and creative intellect of its new found home.
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    So on this day, let us also gaze upon the mountain top - inspired by the knowledge that our reach no longer exceed our grasp.  Let us dedicate our lives to leaving the world a little better than we found it. And while we take a furtive look back - let it not be in anger, but with resolve, and a sense of pride at what we ve overcome. And during this time, let us take at least one moment to thank God that Martin, this humble and spiritual Black man, was allowed to walk among us.
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    And finally, let us take a moment to listen to our hearts, as they quietly murmur, free at last!--every man, woman and child. Free at last!--from the sandy beaches of California to the shores of Maine.  Free At Last!--from America’s shores to the tiniest village in Zimbabwe. THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, WE RE FREE AT LAST!
     

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    Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

    Comments

    In the era of the first Black President, we are witnessing multiple sides going crazy. There is a meme that the Black man has to be kept in his place. The President had to show his long form birth certificate. The Arizona Governor wags her finger in Obama's face. Bill Mahrer and Michael Moore think that Obama becoming the Gangsta that they voted for a complement.

    Glenn Beck claims the mantle of MLK. A Republican labels the racist and homophobic views of a wealthy  faux-hillbilly who sells duck calls the new Rosa Parks. Food stamps are slavery. Obamacare is slavery. Going back to Jim Crow era voting patterns is the new norm.

    Most Blacks realize the game being played, as do most Latinos and Asians. Women understand the game being played as do many Whites. Moral Monday protests are multi-racial. Stop and Frisk protests were multi-racial and included Gay activists. The NAACP supported Gay rights, a major change from past positions. Washington DC supported Gay marriage.

    The racists are in their death throes. They will pour money into rigging elections and suppressing votes. The misogynists will try to oppress women's rights. The homophobes will try to block rights of Gay citizens. In the end, the oppressors will lose.

    Blacks are among the highest consumer of news. When the Republicans utter some ridiculous statement, the Black blogosphere, Black media and those few Blacks in MSM, raise the alarm and battle fiction with truth. when they tried to suppress votes in 2012, the turnout in the Black community increased.

    Every week there is a new book released pointing out the success of Blacks alive and dead to serve as guideposts for current and future generations. The negative images are not taking hold. Activists can readily counter with many more positive images.

    The racists are the ones running scared. Simply ask one what their plan is for the future of the country. As you have noted, they respond with rice cake.


    RM, and not to even mention that every day more Republicans are waking up to reality:   

    A Disaffected Republican

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/disaffected-republicans.html?_r=1


    Read Off Center by Hacker and Pierson.

    VERY sobering on the sophisticated ways a small minority of extremists can control and outmaneuver a much greater group of moderates in both parties.

    Though it was written in 2005, it remains true today. My sense is that some of what they describe has broken down. Rove and Norquist may not be quite the puppet masters they once were, but the infrastructure is intact, I believe.

    The Tea Party, as its senatorial losses in 2012 showed, may be one hair brain too far, but it still wields enormous power in the House where they seem to be lodged in safe seats constructed for them. And if they smarten up just a tidge, they could take the senate in 2014.


    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

    That's one fine piece that you've written there, Mr Wattree.

    Although speaking to the Southern Leadership Council in 1967 in a speech titled, ""Where Do We Go From Here?" the following words of Dr. King dealing with employment, income and economic condition are as relevant in today's society as then, and cross all boundaries of class, ethnicity and race.

    "We must create full employment, or we must create incomes. People must be made consumers by one method or the placed in this position, we need to be concerned that the potential of the individual is not wasted. New forms of social good will have to be devised for those for whom traditional jobs are not available... Work of this sort could be enormously increased, and we are likely to find that the problem of housing, education, instead of preceding the elimination of poverty, will themselves be affected if poverty is first abolished."


    Four months earlier before the above speech in April 1967, when I was 21 years old, while serving in the US Navy, I was in New York City to compete in an indoor track and field meet at the Garden as a member of the All US Military Track Team. A fellow Army friend on the team asked me if I'd like to accompany him to a scheduled speech of Dr. King's at Riverside Church. It was the infamous "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence." Later, a year to the day he was assassinated in Memphis in 1968.

    An American Prophet... a true visionary... taken from us way to early...

     



    ~OGD~
     


    Thank you for that, OGD.

    I remember it well. Isn't it amazing how fast time slips away? Back then we thought time was standing still, but as I look back on it I now see that Martin was little more than a kid himself, and at this point, more time has passed since his death than he managed to live.

    It's scary, and what's even scarier is the fact that time seems to be speeding up with every day that passes. It makes one realize that we’re only given seconds here on this Earth. Because of that new realization and fear, I'm working on six books at one time. I feel like I'm working against a deadline. How I would love to regain the feeling that people over thirty are over the hill, and life was standing still. But even as I write this sentence I can feel myself becoming comfortable with the vague aches and pains of my own mortality.

    I hope we get another shot at this. If you do, I’m going to use my time more wisely. Maybe I can find a way to leave myself a memo - "Man, get on it, because you wasted half a lifetime last time around."


    So very true.


    Good points Mr Wattree... Your words are a treasure.

    And that is why I've learned to start each day in solitary reflection and go forth into the world from there.



     


    Yes... Time is of the essence... As my previous neighbor and friend Lester here in North Hollywood once recorded with his brothers from Mississippi. It rings as true today as the day they wrote it. The Time magazine covers in this video tell some of the stories of the journey you and I have experienced.



     

    Keep on... Keeping on Mr. Wattree . . .


    ~OGD~


    Wow! Thank you, OGD.


    One of my favorite songs from back in the day.


    Saying MLK was a man "who made a difference" is the understatement of the new century and maybe the last one, too.


    Eric, Beautiful. Stunningly beautiful remembrance of King. Sadly too many of those who were around him before his death, have now built identities as an industry of nearly exploiting his great legacy. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. was without a doubt a uniquely remarkable man...... There is great sadness in the harsh reality his legacy has also become a vending machine to rewrite history to suit agendas, and not necessarally to celebrate King. It's a wonderful thing to imagine what Dr. King would say or believe today if he were alive. And more than this, to imagine what he would say to those wearing his legacy like a the blood stained shirt Jesse Jackson wore for days. The legacy of Dr. King will always be great. The taint is those speaking today as if they knew his heart. Even when those very people may have in other ways betrayed King's legacy long ago. The business of selling King is big business, and not because his children want compensation. Because King is dead; it's easy to profit from this astonishing legacy: Dr King is not alive today to speak for himself, or to question those using his legacy to pay their own bills. A disgrace, really. And antithetical to everything MLK.

    Thank you for your kind words, Anonymous, and I fully agree with your comments regarding the pimping of Martin's dream. But the beautiful thing about Martin's legacy is that it's much more durable than those who seek to exploit it. Martin planted a seed that will continue to sprout all over the world with the Spring of every generation that comes into bloom. So the roots of his legacy has proven to be tenacious, strong, and firmly planted


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