Yes, MLK wasn't perfect, but regarding peaceful resistance and changing things for the better, he was perfect. Schools were integrated when I was in elementary school, and in Spartanburg, it was peaceful. Though he had already been assassinated, his influence is what made it peaceful. Sometimes it seems like we have gone backwards since the 1970s.
Happy MLK Day. And yeah the message was very complicated for people. I also "love" how MLK is used basically as a cheap cliché by a number of people (generally conservative). And another thing I always observe is the cliché of roads named for MLK but the underlying conditions he protested are still in effect. And sometimes those roads named for MLK (like expressways) even exacerbated the problems.
In Seattle the major arterial renamed DMLKJ Way was originally Empire Way. Poetic cosmetics, to be sure, but even now our first real light rail line runs below or above street level EVERYWHERE EXCEPT... guess!
Oh yeah I remember the whole thing about that! I actually visited friends living near there back when it was under construction! Thought that was quite curious.
The late spouse was a high-school senior in Memphis in April 1968. He and his budding leftwing radical friends had attended some of the garbage-strike protests and joined the throngs of folks who gathered outside the Lorraine Motel when the news spread that Dr. King had been assassinated. He said the mood of the crowd quickly turned quite hostile, understandably, so he and his fellow white boys beat a hasty retreat back to the suburbs. RIP MLKJr.
I remember when MLK was assassinated. They lowered the flags outside our elementary school and there was a moment of silence. I lived in St. Paul at the time and my best friend Mona Lisa and I watched them lower the flag. She had tears streaming down her face. It was a sad day. His message needs to not just be remembered but heeded more now than ever. When people across the country see this regime’s horrible treatment of peaceful protesters just like they did in the 60’s with firehoses and digs, the rest of the country will finally see horrors unleashed on their own citizens. Change will come. Like Dr King, I still hold out hope.
Mahalia Jackson, a favorite of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., sang this at the March on Washington just before Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.
Mahalia Jackson was an amazing and powerful singer. Her work with Ellington isn’t played enough on my local Jazz station. Which, btw, if you’d like to hear, you can tune into the free streaming on KCSM.org.
"𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵."
~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story”; 1958.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnnGHx_WNCw
Yes, MLK wasn't perfect, but regarding peaceful resistance and changing things for the better, he was perfect. Schools were integrated when I was in elementary school, and in Spartanburg, it was peaceful. Though he had already been assassinated, his influence is what made it peaceful. Sometimes it seems like we have gone backwards since the 1970s.
Happy MLK Day. And yeah the message was very complicated for people. I also "love" how MLK is used basically as a cheap cliché by a number of people (generally conservative). And another thing I always observe is the cliché of roads named for MLK but the underlying conditions he protested are still in effect. And sometimes those roads named for MLK (like expressways) even exacerbated the problems.
Ah well, this is America.
In Seattle the major arterial renamed DMLKJ Way was originally Empire Way. Poetic cosmetics, to be sure, but even now our first real light rail line runs below or above street level EVERYWHERE EXCEPT... guess!
Oh yeah I remember the whole thing about that! I actually visited friends living near there back when it was under construction! Thought that was quite curious.
MLK is white cons' Black friend.
The late spouse was a high-school senior in Memphis in April 1968. He and his budding leftwing radical friends had attended some of the garbage-strike protests and joined the throngs of folks who gathered outside the Lorraine Motel when the news spread that Dr. King had been assassinated. He said the mood of the crowd quickly turned quite hostile, understandably, so he and his fellow white boys beat a hasty retreat back to the suburbs. RIP MLKJr.
I remember when MLK was assassinated. They lowered the flags outside our elementary school and there was a moment of silence. I lived in St. Paul at the time and my best friend Mona Lisa and I watched them lower the flag. She had tears streaming down her face. It was a sad day. His message needs to not just be remembered but heeded more now than ever. When people across the country see this regime’s horrible treatment of peaceful protesters just like they did in the 60’s with firehoses and digs, the rest of the country will finally see horrors unleashed on their own citizens. Change will come. Like Dr King, I still hold out hope.
𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗬 𝗠𝗟𝗞 𝗗𝗔𝗬!!!
Mahalia Jackson, a favorite of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., sang this at the March on Washington just before Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l49N8U3d0Bw
Mahalia Jackson was an amazing and powerful singer. Her work with Ellington isn’t played enough on my local Jazz station. Which, btw, if you’d like to hear, you can tune into the free streaming on KCSM.org.
About halfway thru that clip, Ms. Jackson REALLY winds up and starts shaking plaster from the ceiling of that auditorium.
She had holy spirit flowing through her for sure.