In regards to race, I’m sorry to say that we have a lot more obsticles to cross. We are making progress but at a glacial pace. Dr. King’s message of racial harmony has yet to come into fruition the way he would have wanted. We still have a long way to go. His message is universal, not only meant for African Americans but for any race (such as the Native American Indians, who does not get the recognition that they are entitled and Jewish Americans)who sought out justice for the inhumane treatment and blood shed that was brought upon by predjudice.
I think that in the years since Dr. King’s assasination he has been viewed as the symbol of racial justice, but when asked to fully explain his (our) struggle and it’s complexity, we can’t go beyond “I have a dream”. This saddens me. Dr. King’s struggle goes above and beyond his most popular speech and this is what we should teach our children. We should teach them of the relationship he held with Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, and his opposition towards the Vietnam war and the other causes he selfishly supported.
We are entering a new era and to honor Dr. King’s memory is sit down and educate our children (and ourselves) on the reality that hate (unfortunately) still exists and that the only way to fight it is through education and self awareness.
Dr. King began the struggle, it’s up to us to see it become a reality.
Martin Luther King/”Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam”
It’s amazing how words from the past could resonate in the future!
Dr. King’s struggle goes above and beyond his most popular speech. girl. i just posted abt the same thing. so wearying!!!
Comment by jameil1922 — January 22, 2008 @ 7:49 pm
Thanks for putting MLK’s vietnam speech up. I used to tell my Black Studies students to take Vietnam out and write Iraq in and it would read exactly the same.
MLK was looking ahead in a way that had the FBI very worried.
The same is true for Baldwin’s “No Name on the Street” … the message is the same and the issues so much the same.
When I think about MLK’s message here I can’t but think that he would not have approved of the way things have gone since the civil rights struggle.
Peace,
Ridwan
Comment by Ridwan — January 22, 2008 @ 8:21 pm
This is so true! I went to a MLK event for elementary children this year. It was an annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Poster Contest in Alexandria, Va. Children from grades 1-5 drew posters that best represents what Dr. King stood for and they gave 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honoree prizes to the kids with the best posters. I have to tell you, I believe some of those kids surprised the hell out of their parents with the things they knew about Dr. King. I saw it on there faces, and for some, the kids knew more than the parents.
Comment by Kayla — January 27, 2008 @ 12:45 am