DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR MEETS THE PRESS

DR.MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR MEETS THE PRESS

Screenshot / Meet the Press

Martin Luther King Jr. on Meet the Press on Aug. 25, 1963.

 

   I was nine years old in August of 1963 during the first airing, but I watched the re-broadcast of the Meet The Press interview of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Roy Wilkins on Sunday, then I combed the transcript for the one phrase that stood out to me.  Martin Luther King, Jr. had lofty goals for his community. 

   He was asked the question, "Dr King you are quoted in today's New York Times magazine as saying, 'The Negro's demand for equality must be approximated if not totally fulfilled.'  Would you say what you believe approximated equality is?"

   Dr. King replies, "I think equality is the ability of the individual in any society to achieve respect and dignity and all of the other things that any individual in that society would achieve without the barriers of laws standing before him saying, 'You cannot go here, or You cannot do that,' and without customary barriers.  I think in order for the Negro to approximate equality here all of the barriers of racial segregation must be removed and all of the barriers of discrimination, whether it is housing conditions, whether it is in employment where the Negro confronts a great deal of discrimination, whether it is the actual segregation of the South in schools, or the de facto segregation of the Northern schools.  All of these barriers must be removed before the Negro can even begin moving up on the highway of freedom in all of its dimensions."



  

   What stood out to me in this interview is Dr. King's goal of "dignity and respect".  Dignity comes from within.  The definition from www.websters-online-dictionary.org is :1: [Noun] True honor; nobleness or elevation of mind, consisting in a high sense of propriety, truth and justice, with an abhorrence of mean and sinful actions; opposed to meanness. In this sense, we speak of the dignity of mind, and dignity of sentiments. This dignity is based on moral rectitude; all vice is incompatible with true dignity of mind. The man who deliberately injures another, whether male or female, has no true dignity of soul..

 

   Respect comes from others.  You may begin with respect, but when it is lost, it is extremely difficult to regain.  American Heritage Dictionary defines it this way:  "The state of being regarded with honor or esteem."

 

   Dignity and respect.  It appears that the Civil Rights Movement has been hijacked.  There is no dignity among the Negro Community leaders, thus there is no respect for the community as a whole.  The leaders of The Movement are cannibals who have devoured their own. 

   How can anyone respect Sheila Jackson-Lee,

 

who is a self-proclaimed "former slave", who is now a "freed
slave"?  That statement is just absurd!  She keeps getting elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.  That means that the community who elects her has no dignity.  I know that in my own family, back to my great-grandparents, none of us owned slaves.  We know of none of my family dating back before WWI who owned slaves. So, while equality is a righteous goal, I don't owe anyone anything for my mistreatment of them.

   Let's look at "The Reverend Jesse Jackson",

or lets' not.  Sometimes, I just think everyone who keeps grabbing publicity whether "community activists" or politicians are all afflicted with stage 4 syphilis.  They don't exhibit any semblance of cognitive ability.

   In the Meet The Press interview, I also noticed something else that Dr. King did not say.  He was fighting for the right to work, live, and play just like anyone else.  Anyone with a heart can understand these goals and promote them.

   But the Movement ended up moving the Negro back to the plantation.  Rev. Jesse Jackson glorifies his "welfare President".  Orlando Shaw, 33 years old, is a "rock star" with
 

       
 22 children by 14 different women.  All of them are on welfare.  How is this "dignity" or "respect"?  They want others to pay for their existence rather than wanting equality for employment, schooling, or which community to live in.

When did they change their goal?

   Herman Cain was attacked for attending college rather than marching.  Dr. Ben Carson was slammed for thinking for himself and realizing that his morality is more in line with the Conservative's values.  I know many normal, everyday Blacks who also have a great moral compass, but they have not attended a church ran by a "Pastor" like Jeremiah Wright.

   Fifty years after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s efforts, the Civil Rights Movement has been determined to be a failure due to The Left.  Don't feel badly, though, because the Republican Party is also a failure for the same reason.

   The only solution I can think of is for all of us to read.  We need to read The Bible and "test the spirits" for understanding.  You are invited to join us at http://omaswisdom.blogspot.com for Bible reading and discussion.

 

You are welcome to leave a comment with your thoughts.  No comment is published without review.

 

You are also invited to visit Oma at http://omaslife.blogspot.com and http://omashealth.blogspot.com.