Picking Up Where Dr. King Left Off

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an incredible symbol of the civil rights era and who's life was cut far too short. At the end of his life, he was transforming his message from one about race to one about class. Unfortunately, much of that mission to eradicate poverty was put on hold for the "great conservative movement" in the 1970s, 80s, 90s...basically up until now. Thankfully, the newest leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Council is determined to start a true Poor People's Campaign.

From Yahoo News:

ATLANTA – The Southern Christian Leadership Conference hopes to mobilize 50,000 people in the Mississippi Delta this summer in a campaign to draw attention to the poverty of a region where some Americans still live in homes with dirt floors and brown water flows from their faucets.

The effort is much like the one envisioned by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was planning a Poor People's Campaign and march on Washington before he was assasinated in 1968.

SCLC Interim President Byron Clay announced the initiative in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. He said the efforts would be centered not on the nation's capital, but in towns along the soil-rich, resource-poor Delta region.

"We will bring this nation face to face with poverty," Clay said. "We are organizing poor people of all colors, to form the kind of beloved community that Martin Luther King Jr. talked about."

Hopefully Clay is serious about this, because a movement for the people in the Mississippi Delta region is seriously needed. The event is only scheduled for three days in June but the effects must be transformational. The SCLC's once prominent influence has been sorely missed and it is about time they return. Religious groups have been all about restricting rights and not focusing on core "Christian" values, such as ending poverty and hunger.

First Came The Dream, Now It Is Time To Work

The dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. were great, as is thereality of the inauguration of Barack Obama tomorrow. Nevertheless, these students at Howard University understand that it isn't just the words Obama speaks that will change our nation but the people who will it to be so.

Bush Denigrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

His record when it comes to civil rights is bad enough, but this super-imposed picture of the Pretzeldent over Dr. King's image is utterly disgraceful.

How Does McCain Really Feel About Martin Luther King

Politicians can promise the world when speaking to an audience of people they want to impress, but what it really comes down to is how they vote on the issues. McCain says he was "informed" on the issue when he voted against the holiday memorializing Martin Luther King, Jr. but that was a mere platitude.

Disgracing The Memory Of Dr. King Like Only McCain Can

For some strange reason, Presidential candidate John McCain decided to show up in Memphis today to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Why is that odd? Well, for starters, John McCain rejects much of what King stood up for. He was against war, McCain is obviously for it. King wanted so many different things for our society that was meant to help us achieve equality and justice for all, yet McCain is running for George Bush's third term, and that goes together like oil and water. On top of the principles and issues, McCain initially voted against making King's birthday a national holiday...and sought to defund the commission that promoted the holiday as late as the 1994. So what type of response did McCain get in Memphis from those in the crowd?

From The Huffington Post:

Senator John McCain, "who says he will court the African-American vote this year and campaign in places Republicans often shun," spoke in Memphis on Friday to mark the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

But his speech was met with boos and interruptions from many in the audience, as he apologized for repeatedly opposing the creation of a holiday to celebrate King's legacy.

McCain voted against the creation of a holiday honoring King in 1983, a vote which was supported by a large number of Republicans. McCain claimed this week that he was largely unaware on the importance of King's work at the time, due to his Vietnam-era service overseas. Speaking on Thursday to reporters, he explained that his conversion occurred around 1990:

"I voted in my...first year in Congress against it and then I began to learn and I studied and people talked to me. And I not only supported it but I fought very hard in my home state of Arizona for recognition against a governor who was of my own party."

But McCain's voting record since 1990 doesn't support this explanation. In addition to voting to oppose a state holiday in 1987 (which he later supported) and a federal holiday in 1989, McCain voted in 1994 to cut funding for the commission that promoted King's holiday.

This is a hard one for the McCain camp to spin and the comment about reaching out to African-American voters is nothing more than a pleasantry. Beyond the facts of the case, there is something to be said about a picture being worth a thousand words, but a video of McCain being booed (not to mention the man that is keeping him dry) speaks volumes.

What You May Not Know About Dr. Martin Luther King

Dr. King wasn't just a fighter for civil rights, but workers' rights as well. He would be shocked to see how far we have regressed in our corporate culture in the last forty years.

He Would Have Been 73

We celebrate his birthday on the third Monday of January, but today would have been his birthday:



And the dream still lives on.

Dr. King Spoke About War At This Church

An earlier post today covered the 2nd annual MLK event at the Riverside Church here in NYC. Senator Edwards referenced Dr. King's speech when he said that silence was betrayal when it comes to the war. Here is an audio broadcast of his incredible words on April 4th, 1967. His message is as imperative today as it was when we were losing soldiers in Vietnam nearly forty years ago.

Opinions of War: Bill O'Reilly vs. Martin Luther King Jr.

Which one resembles democracy most? Which one echoes authoritarianism?

Martin Luther King Jr.: The Dream Lives On

Take a few minutes and watch this monumental speech. Remember that we have come so far since that day in August of 1963, yet we have so much further to go. The divide between ethnicities, rich and poor and political differences still need tremendous work to heal our nation.