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T he P ortland O bserver • J anuary
15, 1997
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Martin Luther King Jr. 1997
P age
Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.
by
B ernice P owell J ackson
During last year’s debate on affir­
m ative action, we heard W ard
Connerly, who led the battle to end
affirmative action in California, in­
voke the name of Martin Luther King,
Jr. It w asn't until CoretlaScott King
pul the record straight shortly before
election day that we heard the truth
about what Dr. King believed and
called for.
Mrs. King reminded Mr. Connerly
and others that Dr. King had come to
the conclusion that African Ameri­
cans must have some economic ad­
vantages i f they were ever to make up
for the 200 years of free labor they
provided this nation and the 200 years
of in adequate education and oppor­
tunity. Dr. King, she was sure, would
have been in favor of affirmative
action programs.
As we celebrate what would have
been Dr King’s 68th birthday, only
months after the nation ended its 60
year-old promise to care for indigent
women and children, the question we
must ask is what would Dr. King say
about today's so-called welfare re­
form.
Only months after Californians
voted to end affirmative action, we
must ask what would Dr. King say
about today’s so-called equal oppor­
tunity. Only months after the acquit­
tal of Pennsylvania police officers in
the death of Johnny Gammago. of a
New York police officer in death of
Anthony Baez and ariot in Pensacola,
PL following the shixiting of a black
man by a police officer, the question
we must ask is what would Dr. King
say about police brutality. And, after
the b u t n in g o f 124 A f r ic a n A m e ric a n
churches over the past live years,
what would Dr. King have to say
about the state of race relations in
America nearly 30 years after his
death.
Rather than put words into Dr.
King's mouth, perhaps it is best to
use his own words -words which his­
tory conveniently has made bland
and less prophetic.
For example, in his final book.
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos
or Community, Dr. King quoted
Hyman Bookbinder, assistant direc­
tor of the Of f ice of Economic Oppor­
tunity, who said, “The poor can stop
being poor if the rich are willing to
become even richer ai a slower rale
In a later chapter. Dr. King wrote."
The economic highway to power has
few entry lanes for Negroes. Nothing
so vividly reveals the crushing im­
pact of discrimination and the heri­
tage of exclusion as the limited di­
mensions of Negro business in the
most pow erful econom y in the
world.” Still later in that same book,
he wrote, "The poor are less often
dismissed from our conscience to­
day by being branded as interior and
incompetent, adding, "We also know
that no matter how dynamically the
economy develops and expands it
does not eliminate all poverty
Finally, read these words of Dr
King during a series in Canada in
1967 ' The dispossessed ol this na­
tion--the poor, both w hue and negi o-
-live m a cruelly unjust society They
must organize a revolution against
that injustice, not against the lives ol
the persons who are their fellow citi­
zens, but against the structures
th ro u g h w hich the so c ie ty is
refusing...to lift the load of poverty
Dr King’s real dream was of a
society free from discrimination and
free from poverty and injustice. Il
was not some milk-toast, pasteur­
ized. uncritical dream, bui a radical
one which challenges us even today
What would Dr. King say about
the church burnings, about the police
brutality, about the end of affirma
live action .* I've got my own guesses
Bui 1 don't think he would be con
gratulatmg us on a job w ell done
Celebrate Dr King's birthday by
thinking aboul what he would be
saying, by reading what he really did
say and then by doing something
aboul injustices you see around you
is commendable, but it must
not cause the philanthropist to
overlook the circumstances of
economic injustice which make
philanthropy necessary.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Strength o f Love
(Note: l)r. K ing’s sermons,
speeches and writings can be found
in A Testament o f hope edited by
James M. Washington and pub­
lished by Harper San Francisco.)
Odyssey to honor Martin Luther
King with tribute program
“ D ream s o f K ings" to T e le ­
cast on M onday, Jan u ary 20 at
6 :30 p.m . (E T )
In honor o f M artin L uther King
Day, O dyssey (form erly the Faith
& V alues C h a n n e l) w ill te lecast
"D ream s o f K in g s” , a trib u te to
Dr. K ing, on M onday, January
20 at 6:30 p.m . (E T ).
"D ream s o f K in g s” is a visual
and m usical c e le b ra tio n to Dr.
M artin L uther K ing. Jr. and how
his w ork was form ed out o f his
faith com m itm ent. T his h alt-h o u r
special b rin g s to g e th e r m usic,
dance, docum entary footage f rom
the civil rig h ts m ovem ent and
ex cerp ts from speeches by M ar­
tin L u th er K ing, Jr. w ith the R es­
urrectio n story to trace the spirit
of ju stic e from an cien t tim es to
today.
"D ream s of K in g s” will be re ­
peated on T u esday, January 21
at 2:00 a.m. (ET). T he program
was p ro d u ced e x c lu siv e ly for
O dyssey by Trinity C hurch (E pis­
co p al), New York C ity.
O d yssey is now a v ailab le in
m ore than 28 m illion h o useholds
liusic C hloré & GfiLonr Pna
3213 NE MLK. King Jr. Blvd
Portland, OR
M usic G alore S alutes
T he D ream of
M artin L uther K ing J r ,
$100.00 Pager & I Year Service
Unlimited Calls
n a tio n w id e via c a b le and the
P rim estar d ire c t-to -h o m e s a te l­
lite se rv ic e . Il offers a mix of
re lig io u s, m o ra l/e th ic a l, values
based fam ily -safe program m ing.
O d y sse y is jo in tly o w n ed by
VLSN M anagem ent C orp., a s u b
sidiary o f T e le -C o m m u n ic a tio n s
Inc. (T C O M A ). N ICC is a con
sortium o f 64 P ro te sta n t. Jew ish,
Rom an C a th o lic and E astern O r
thodox faith groups and e v a n ­
gelical tra d itio n s V iew er in fo r­
m ation: 8 8 8 -390-7474. W eb site
http://w w w .odyssey channel com
Walnut Park
N E IG H B O R H O O D
The Portland Development Commission urges your support of
the businesses at the Walnut Park Retail Center. Their success is
the community's success.
THE
ULTIMKT e
OF A
Hrs. Mon - Sat 9:00 - 7:30
Sun 12-5
As We Celebrate Our 35th Yer Of Service
To Our Community, We Honor
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
And The Hope He Brought To People!
"...the dream of a
country where every
man will respect the
dignity and worth of
all hitman personality... ”
D elaunay
PDC
PORTLAND
DEVELOPMENT
COMMISSION
“The ultimate
measure of a man
is not where he
stands in moments
of comfort and
convienience, but
where he stands
at times of
challenge and
controversy.”
The Portland
Trail Blazers
and the Oregon
Arena Corporation
salute the
birthday of a
great American
hero.
2 8 8 -9 1 8 0
❖
R E T A IL C E N T E R
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
1929-1968
BLAZERS.
Post (S arden
5139 N. Lombard St.
(503) 286-1107
I
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