I would like to at this time wish everyone a Happy MLK Day!!! I am thankful for eternity the sacrifice and the road Dr. Martin Luther King paved the way for everyone.
"I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s greatest stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is… the white moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice." —Martin Luther King Jr., 1963
He was peaceful and they called his protests riots; he never burned one building, never robbed one store, and they killed him anyway.
A political cartoon from the Birmingham News, 1967.
Let's all be grateful for the "sacrifice" he never agreed to make, which brought an end to a life we could ill afford to lose.
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” -Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968
I thought about him a lot today.
I was in high school when he was murdered. It was painful to experience. A few of my friends and I gathered in a field, read from some of his speeches, had our own little memorial.
The Birmingham News got it backwards. Police assaulted children who were marching to protest school segregation. They were beaten, attacked by dogs, had high pressure water hoses used on them, were arrested. When they were let out of jail they were expelled from school.
Here’s some film footage from that incident.
@Babichev: Oof. Yeah, society didn't like him nearly so much until after he was dead. The reporting wasn't exactly fair and balanced. (And it's still not, I suspect, but the other way. You'd think he was a saint instead of a normal, decent human, these days.)
He was right about a lot of things, and more of his words deserve quoting than just "I have a dream" or "The time is always right to do what is right."
"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." —MLK Jr, 1963
"There is probably no way, even eliminating violence, for Negroes to obtain their rights without upsetting the equanimity of white folks." —MLK Jr, 1967
"America is still a racist country. Now however unpleasant that sounds, it is the truth. And we will never solve the problem of racism until there is a recognition of the fact that racism still stands at the center of so much of our nation and we must see racism for what it is." —MLK Jr, 1968
"...a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality and humanity." —same speech as above
"If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty and make it possible for all of God's children to have the basic necessities of life, she too will go to hell." —MLK Jr, 1968
And then he was murdered.
"According to Rev. Samuel Kyles, who was standing several feet away, King was leaning over the balcony railing in front of Room 306 and was speaking with Rev. Jesse Jackson when the shot rang out. King was struck in the face at 6:01 p.m. by a single .30-06 bullet fired from a Remington Model 760 rifle. The bullet entered through King's right cheek, breaking his jaw and several vertebrae as it traveled down his spinal cord, severing his jugular vein and major arteries in the process, before lodging in his shoulder. The force of the shot ripped King's necktie off. King fell backward onto the balcony, unconscious." —Wikipedia
He was only 39.
“The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and evils of racism.”
“ Jesus eloquently affirmed from the cross a higher law. He knew that the old eye-for-eye philosophy would leave everyone blind. He did not seek to overcome evil with evil. He overcame evil with good. Although crucified by hate, he responded with aggressive love.”
Trevor Noah did a nice segment on observing MLK’s birthday.
And if you’d like something more short, sweet, and to the point, here’s a compilation of cringeworthy MLK Day observations that really failed. My favorite is the store that offered a discount on all black clothing.