The Legacy of Martin Luther King: Coming Close Enough to Measure Character

[bobbolink]

This article is from Sojourners, and even if it was longer than the 4 paragraphs, SOJO wants these articles to be shared. I think this one deserves a lot of pondering, and I have bolded some sections for that purpose.

The author resides in the Denver area, and I have spoken with him a few times. He is a wonderfully warm and accepting person.
http://blog.sojo.net/2010/08/25/the-legacy-of-martin-luther-king-coming-close-enough-to-measure-character/


The Legacy of Martin Luther King: Coming Close Enough to Measure Character
by Vincent Harding 08-25-2010


King’s references to our children are among the most misused and misunderstood elements of the “I Have a Dream” speech. And as I reflect even further on this speech/sermon/love song/jeremiad, and on the many unkind cuts it suffers — as well as the enlivening challenges it presents to us all — I remember that my friend, Martin, was only 34 years old when he delivered it on behalf of millions of others. And I recall (we were, with our wives and children, Atlanta-based neighbors and co-workers at the time) that in 1963 he and Coretta had only recently experienced the joy of the birth of their fourth child. Following those memories, I knew how important children were to him, how much he regretted his constant absences from the lives of his own beautiful gang. So it is also clear to me that the two major references to children in the speech were not meant to be sentimental throw-away lines. Rather, they deserve to be taken (and to be taught) seriously.

As King tried to share the heart of his dream with the gathering in Washington and the millions watching on television (and the countless numbers watching from wherever our ancestors reside), it was natural that he should turn to his children — and all of our children — to clarify his meaning. First, he said, “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.”

That, of course, has become a favorite statement cherry-picked from the speech, often by persons who seek to avoid acknowledging and dealing with the continuing destructive power of racism in our nation and, therefore, who may have missed “the impact and influence” and deep meaning of King’s statement. With that dangerous, light-weighting process in mind, I have lately asked myself and others, how do we really measure the content of a child’s character? How do we measure (I like that word better than “judge”) anyone’s character, including our own? Can we do it without intentionally opening ourselves to each other, without coming close to each other, without sharing one another’s stories, aspirations, hopes, and fears?

Indeed, can we really measure the content of our own individual character without regularly practicing deep levels of honest self-reflection? In other words, it seems clear to me that King’s dream was offering us no easy way forward, either with our children or ourselves. To explore fully the content of our characters surely requires our best thinking and working, to open that necessary pathway into each other’s lives. To place nurturing, loving hands on the lives of our children.

Vincent G. Harding, professor emeritus at Iliff School of Theology and co-founder of Veterans of Hope Project, is a historian, author, and activist.

[Bluerthanblue]

1. this is an excellent article Bobbolink-

thank you for posting it.

a big K&R!

:grouphug:

[bobbolink]

3. thank you! He is always refreshingly original, and brings to light

what we really need to be thinking about.

If we would all just think about and discuss what he is saying, we would have a much stronger movement.

:hi: :grouphug:

[laughingliberal]

2. Excellent!

We need a few like him, now. The Sojourners are a force for good.

[bobbolink]

10. We,indeed, need more leaders like both Vincent Harding and Martin Luther King.

However, I think that many of us have leadership abilities that we haven't begun to exercise.

Leaders are good, but we can do so much without a "big name"!

:hug:

[dotymed]

4. Thank You Bobbolink.

I wish people would realize that Dr. King was not only about the disparagement of racism. He also called for the abolishment of Class-ism.
The never ending spiral of poverty.
Dr. King wanted ALL people to be treated justly, with dignity and given the same opportunities as any wealthy person. He was advocating equal, social standing for all.
Which are the tenants of most major religions. How ironic that so many so called "religious" people are the most intolerant.

[bobbolink]

5. Yes, and he kept asking us ALL to look into ourselves. The movement only continues

when we keep growing ourselves!

I have given up trying to get "progressives" to recognize how radical King was about poverty. Just last week I was called all kinds of names here on DU because I spoke to that!

"You always make yourself the focus". That is the constant meme. I'm just selfish because I want poor people to get our rightful attention!

I'm recognizing that won't change, and the despair has set in. I'm sure my detractors here will be happy to know that. They suceeded.

Vincent Harding knows this struggle, and had the support to keep speaking up against it. I appreciate him so much for that, and for the encouragement he has given me. He is a hero.

[RKP5637]

25. "How ironic that so many so called 'religious' people are the most intolerant." I never cease

to be amazed today at how cruel many are wrapping themselves in the flag and religion today. I am not a religious person, but I did go to church every Sunday when young, bible school, etc. and I learned the good things in religion, especially being kind to others.

I never cease to be amazed at the cruelty expressed by those professing to be religious. It is not religion for them but a cloak to cover their hatred they choose to express in the name of their god.

[ThomCat]

6. King's words have always had much deeper meanings than most

people have been willing to see. Especially when so many people are able to cherry pick his speeches to try to show support stuff for things King clearly would have fought AGAINST!

Like trying to twist Kings words to imply that he would support re-segregating schools. Or privatizing schools. Or deregulation of various industries. Or union-busting and "right to work" laws. Or "welfare reform." Or "bankruptcy reform." Or laws against feeding the homeless in public. or anti-choice and anti-feminist efforts.

Instead of reading King's words and feeling what he wrote in the spirit of unity with all humanity, helping the poorest and weakest first and lifting all people upward, people try to twist his words to fit selfish preconceived ideas. People try to use King's words to serve their own agendas.

That almost always means trying to use King's words to hurt poor people, and using King's words to protect their existing bias and bigotry against some group of people.

It is wonderful that people feel King's words are so important that they feel the need to justify themselves in the context of King's words. It is wonderful that they feel feel it is necessary to defend themselves by twisting King's words. It shows that they know, deep down, that they are wrong.

But it is incredibly sad how often people get away with twisting King's words in such self-serving ways without being challenged by a real "liberal media," without being being corrected, and without their real agenda becoming the real story.

So instead of King's legacy of advocacy surviving intact, people succeed in twisting his legacy. People succeed in twisting and using his legacy.

It seems that almost everyone succeeds in using King's legacy to their own advantage except people who are fighting discrimination and people who are fighting poverty. Everyone manages to use King's words to their own successful political advantage except the people King was really trying to help.

When black people, or poor people, or struggling people trying to unionize, or any of the people King Spoke about and represented try to use his words we are all dismissed out-of-hand. We are told that quoting King is too cliched, too trite, and it is uncool class warfare.

Besides, we aren't knowledgeable enough, or serious enough, or educated enough to use King's words. We are ignorant poor people. Or ignorant black people. Or ignorant... whatever the insult is this week.

Or, if they can't claim we are too ignorant, then we are too intelligent. We are professional students with no lives, nose-in-the-air elitists, think tank rabble-rousers, ivory tower academics, over-educated and cut off from normal people because we don't know what real life is like.

Either way, somehow we aren't supposed to use King's words even though they apply to all of us. We aren't supposed to use King's words because they don't think we should. Somehow they get to speak King's words, and use them, and twist them, even though they are the people King was most trying to reach, the people he was most trying to teach, and they are the people who most need to learn what King was trying to say.

[bobbolink]

8. What MLK said about religions..... not mincing words "spiritually moribund"

" said that any religion that is not concerned about the poor and disadvantaged, 'the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them<,> is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial.' In his 'Dream' speech, my father paraphrased the prophet Amos, saying, 'We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.'"
- Martin Luther King III, president and chief executive of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (Source: The Washington Post)

[RKP5637]

7. Excellent!!! n/t

[bobbolink]

20. Thanks! The writer is a great man, and deserves to be more known.

[Odin2005]

9. K&R! Thank you, Bobbo!

[bobbolink]

21. Thanks for reading it! I thought it a good piece, worth the time.

:hi:

[G_j]

11. an excellent read

thank you!

[bobbolink]

12. Thank you for taking the time to read. Are we alll ready to open ourselves, as he talks about?

That, to my mind, is our missing piece in the current struggle, and why we aren't having more success.

[MerryBlooms]

13. Powerful piece - now included on my FB page.

Thank you.

[bobbolink]

14. Great! SOJO thanks you, too!

:yourock:

[asdjrocky]

15. Very good words Bobbo, thanks for posting. K&R! nt

[laughingliberal]

16. kick. wish I could rec again! nt

[bobbolink]

17. Aw, go ahead anyway.

:evilgrin:

I'd just like to see it widely read... it is deserving of that.

:hug:

[laughingliberal]

19. "I'd just like to see it widely read... it is deserving of that."

Yep!

[amborin]

18. knr

[niyad]

22. k and r--thank you for sharing this.

[maryf]

23. K&Rnt

[MrScorpio]

24. When America was made, its biggest mistake was the lack equal rights for all

Even today, it's an ongoing process to correct.

But, thank God that a man like MLK existed to help right that initial wrong.

[bobbolink]

27. We've been fortunate to have many who have sacrificed their lives in the journey to

right the wrongs.

Its too bad we don't fully understand their vision(s)!

[Bluebear]

26. This is magnificent.

>>> to open that necessary pathway into each other’s lives <<<

That is what it is all about.

[Count Olaf]

28. K&R

well written-thank you for posting.

I pray that the spirit of MLK sweeps over the Glenn Beck Rally and instills the true values of his teachings.

[Count Olaf]

29. oops too late to rec

how about another
:kick:

[MerryBlooms]

30. kickaroo