Commemorating the 1963 March on Washington.

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..."