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View Full Version : It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the States


Aqua
01-19-2004, 04:30 PM
Some may take this day for granted as a day they don't have to go into work or go to class, but I hope you will all take a minute out of your day to reflect on the battle Dr. King was fighting and the sacrifice he made for what he believed in...


I Have A Dream

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check --- a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds". But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check --- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundation of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We can not walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "when will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed --- "We hold these these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, and rough places will be made plains, and the crooked places will be made straight,and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the south. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must come true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California.

But not only that --- let freedom ring from Stone Mountain in Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual,

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Lilith
01-19-2004, 04:35 PM
An important day, not only to remind of how far we have come, but also how far we have left to go.

Shash
01-19-2004, 04:39 PM
MLK obviously had the Gettysburg address on his mind. I wonder what he would say today.

Are we "judging by the content of their character" yet?

lots of progress has been made

lots remains to be made

do your part

LixyChick
01-19-2004, 07:48 PM
TY for the thread (((((((Aqua))))))! I was hoping a gentle reminder was added today!

Welcum to Pixies Shash! So nice to see you joining in! Hope to see you round the boards!

south
01-20-2004, 03:47 PM
While I believe that the Reverend-Doctor was a great leader and a great American I have trouble with the fact that we have a holiday for "him".
Stop for a moment and think.
Think about all the great Americans that have done great and exceptional things. Men and Women who have lead others, both great and common to do great things. Men who defied other governments and the conventions of their time to help form what can at times be judged to be the greatest country on earth.
Think of the scope of the intelligence and the leadership and the courage of their convictions.
Now name me one of those men who has a national holiday to solely honor him, the same way we honor The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.

Aqua
01-20-2004, 04:31 PM
South, so that I may understand your point to a fuller extent, give me a couple examples of men and women and what it is they have done to deserve a national holiday. Mayhaps they also deserve a national day.

I see no problem with giving a day of recognition to a man that took great strides to correct an injustice while facing violence and death threats, while refusing to resort to these tactics himself. The threats on his life proved to be more than just idle harrassment, but up until the moment he was shot he did not let that sway him from pursuing justice and equality. He was instrumental in changing the course of this country away from a road we traveled much too long, and he is completely deserving of a national holiday.

LixyChick
01-20-2004, 04:41 PM
Here, here Aqua! I totally agree!

I'm also interested in who south is speaking of.......and so I don't want it to seem like I'm ganging up against him.....just that I DO believe that MLK is ever deserving of a national holiday!

PantyFanatic
01-20-2004, 04:54 PM
Like South, I had a problem with creating a National Holiday for someone of contemporary times. Like amendments to the U. S. Constitution, it should not be trifled with because of a current “hot button” topic or for political ploy. While this is the first National Holiday addition I have been around for, I didn’t know precisely what did warrant one being added.

After a lot of reflection and attempts to imagine the reality (instead of the historic) conditions of past justifications, it seemed that like Presidents Day for Washington and Lincoln, it was the initiation of events of great significance that the person happened to lead that was truly being acknowledged. In that light, it does seem befitting to me to mark a turning point for equality of ALL people in our society. And boy, do we have a long way to go! We DO need a reminder.


(just a clowns thought):jester:

LixyChick
01-20-2004, 05:05 PM
Well....I could have elaborated like that ^^^^^ PF! But I don't have your eloquence and flair!

:jester:

PantyFanatic
01-20-2004, 05:21 PM
Originally posted by LixyChick
...But I don't have your eloquence and flair!
:jester:

"PANTIES:p, PUSSY, PANTIES:p, LICK, PANTIES:p, FUCK, PANTIES:p".


Yep.:) Some of us have it, some of us don’t.:D

dicksbro
01-20-2004, 05:42 PM
Thanks, Aqua, for sharing that. I was not able to get online until today but the text of that speech was very interesting. Again. Thanks.

BTW, feller, you're a class act!

Aqua
01-20-2004, 06:03 PM
You are welcome DB. :)

katekate42
01-20-2004, 10:58 PM
Aqua, thanks for reminding all of us how far we do still have to go, especially in working toward peaceful resolutions to our conflicts. I believe this is a holiday that often loses its significance in the US and is relegated to "oh, that day we're out of school and the banks are closed..." We need to spend more time reflecting on an individual and certainly on a national/international scale about what Dr. King's philosophy was really about. Thank you so much for pointing it out!

Irish
01-21-2004, 02:26 PM
I agree with south.One of my closest friends in Conn(where I am from)is black.He and I have never beleived that MLK deserved a
special day,anymore than many others! Irish
PF---Remember when there was a Lincolns Birthday & a Washingtons Birthday?Now they have combined both into a Pres-
idents Day!I remember,because my Grandmothers birthday,was on Washingtons Day!

Steph
01-21-2004, 02:31 PM
CBC radio here celebrated his birthday, although we don't get a holiday up here.

Segregation was a horrible injustice and Dr. King, like Gandhi, used non-violence as a way to change things.

And let's not forget, Gandhi died just 20 years before Dr. King.

Both men are deserving of recognition and thanks. Certainly there are other people out there who deserve recognition but recognizing Dr. King doesn't take away from anything else, IMHO.

CunningLinguist
01-21-2004, 02:57 PM
South,

I think Ghandi and Christ are the ones who come to mind when I think of honoring those who stand up to violence with non-violence.

Christ of course has several days in our culture to honor him and well Ghandi was not very influential on our culture.

Besides the important thing is that well like true heroes Christ, Ghandi and MLK probably never wanted anything named after them or celebrations in their name. Their work was its own reward.

rockintime
01-21-2004, 07:31 PM
Our history and the long, difficult fight to change it together with M.L King, Jr's dedication, leadership, methods, and effects provide strong justification for a day honoring him and his movement.