We
can expect Obama, in his speech on August 28 commemorating the March on
Washington, to take Martin Luther King, Jr. out of context.
And we can even expect those Obama supporters organizing the March on
Washington on August 24 commemorating the 1963 March Washington to not
only take King out of context but intentionally omit the links King drew
between war, unemployment and poverty and the need for peace if we are
going to have the resources to create real living wage jobs and full
employment which would put an end to poverty.
Here is one of
Kings most most important (and intentionally) overlooked speeches and we
probably won't be hearing this kind of talk from speakers on August 24
or most certainly from Obama on August 28.
I would urge you to
take the time to read this entire speech, the comments and King's
response... and then share this far and wide in order to counter the
misinformation we will be getting about King in the days ahead.
It is bad enough those in power take King out of context; we should be careful that we don't do the same thing.
This is a speech by King in which he declares:
"Now I wanted to say something about the fact that we have lived over
these last two or three summers with agony and we have seen our cities
going up in flames. And I would be the first to say that I am still
committed to militant, powerful, massive, non-violence as the most
potent weapon in grappling with the problem from a direct action point
of view. I'm absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the
fears of the white community while relieving the guilt. And I feel that
we must always work with an effective, powerful weapon and method that
brings about tangible results. But it is not enough for me to stand
before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible
for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent,
intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are
the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other
alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I
must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what
is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight
of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen 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 and humanity."
http://www.gphistorical.org/mlk/mlkspeech/index.htm
In response to a comment from the audience, King said:
"...But I don't have time to go into the history and the development of
the war in Viet Nam. I happen to be a pacifist but if I had had to make
a decision about fighting a war against Hitler, I may have temporarily
given up my pacifism and taken up arms..."
