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2003 s p e c ia l e d itio n .
January 15,2001
Martin Luther King Jr. Embraced World Harmony
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We are not going to let this conflict (in Birming­
ham) deteriorate into a struggle between black
people and white people.
This patient preacher seemed to intrinsically know
that if he focused on the “them vs. us" kind of
attitude, it would have been turned into even a worse
situation than it already was. He always taught his
followers to hold the line without raising a hand.
After hearing about a tragedy when a white youth
injured a young black man in a drive-by shooting.
King’s words rang out with his usual unruffled tone.
He spoke to an angry group of supporters who had
revenge in their hearts:
cause and his people stood as solid as a mountain.
Those who struggled along side of him were from
all races creeds and colors. However, even his most
devoted trustees could not equal him in strength and
resolve. As the tempers of many of his followers
would occasionally boil over. Dr. King would calm
them with his Christian and Gandhian styles of lead­
ership. During aparticulartough time in Birmingham
Ala., when dogs were sent to attack even the little
children and fire hoses would injure African Ameri­
cans of all ages, Martin calmly commented on the
situation:
Best Wishes
from Senator
Ron Wyden
“ Let us rise up tonight with a
greater readiness. Let us stand
with a greater determination.
And let us move on in these
powerful days, these days of
challenge, to make America better nation...
- Rev. Martin Luther
Paid for by Wyden for Senate
lam sorry, but I will never teach any o f you to hate
all the starving people in that country. One single
white people.
comment by him spoke of his compassion for them:
When continually confronted by even his own
How can one avoid being depressed when one
people, especially aftera violent hate crime, Dr. King
sees with one's own eyes evidence o f millions o f
repeated his Gandhian style message:
people going hungry at night?
To develop a sense o f black conscious and people
Martin never thought only of his own black race:
hood does not require that we scorn the white race
lam interested in rights fo r Negroes, but I am just
as a whole. It is not the race per se that we fight but
as interested in Appalachian whites and Mexican-
the policies and ideology that leaders o f the race
Americans and other minorities.
have formulated to perpetuate oppression.
The history o f racism in America did not begin
We must not become victimized with a philosophy
with the African Americans. It began with the Native
o f black supremacy. God is not merely interested in
Americans. Our nation was bom in genocide when
the freedom o f black men, and brown men and
it embraced the doctrine that the original Ameri­
yellow men; God is interested in the free­
can, the Indian, was an inferior race.... Even before
dom o f the whole human race.
there were large numbers o f Negroes on our shores,
Martin King brought forth to us many
the scar o f racial hatred had already disfigured
positive aspects of life that had been long
colonial society.
staring us right in the face, such as love,
One of the great tragedies of man ’ s long trek along
peace, kindness and tolerance. During his
the highway of history has been the limiting of
Nobel Award acceptance address on Dec.
neighborly concern to tribe, race, class or nation.
11,1964 he spoke of this love:
When speaking out of the need for economic
/ believe that unarmed truth and un­
security, decent housing, and quality education for
conditional love will have the final word
every American his compassion was deeply felt:
in reality.
« —
----------------------------
The dispossessed o f this
He continued to share this phi­
nation, the poor, both white
God is interested and Negro - live in a cru­
losophy through his entire short
life:
elly unjust society.
I solemnly pledge to do my ut­ in the freedom o f
Segregation in o u f
most to uphold thefair name o f the
nation's schools and pub­
Jews. Not only because we need the whole human
lic or private places deeply
theirfriendship, and surely we do,
disturbed Martin.
*
but mainly because bigotry in any race.
Segregation scars the
form is an affront to us all.
soul o f b o ther the
You 've got to love the white — Martin Luther King Jr. K segregator and the segre-
man. God knows he needs our
gated.
love.
He believed the new generation of students join­
I f we are going to have peace on earth,
ing his cause gave new life and hope to it:
our loyalties must become ecumenical
What is fresh, what is new in your fight is the fact
rather than sectional. Our loyalties must
that it was initiated, led and sustained by students.
transcend our race, our tribe, oiir class,
What is new is that American students (o f all colors)
and our nation. This means we must de­
have come o f age. You now take your honored
velop world perspective.
places in the worldwide struggle fo r freedom.
King Jr.
During his trip to India, King was ap­
In his wisdom, this great leader spoke of our need
palled by the poverty he saw; it was worse
to peaceable work through racism and segregation as
than anything he’d seen in the United
a team:
States. His heart nearly burst when he saw
No individual can live alone; no nation can live
alone, and as long as we try, the
more we are going to have war in
this world.
The mere fact that we live in the
United States means that we are
caught in a network o f inescap­
able mutuality. Thereforeno Ameri­
can can afford to be apathetic about
the problem o f racial justice.
Negroes hold only one key to
the double lock o f peaceful
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change. The other is in the hands
o f the white community.
In the final analysis the white
man cannot ignore the Negro’s
problem, because he is a part o f
the Negro and the Negro is a part
o f him. The Negro’s agony dimin­
ishes the white man and the
Negro's salvation enlarges the
white man.
Both Negro and white workers
are equally oppressed. For both,
the living standards need to be
raised to levels consistent with
our national resources.
It would be hard to imagine how
tempted this young theologian and
minister was in terms of striking
out in retaliation, especially after
trying times such as those at Bir­
mingham. But it just wouldn’ t hap­
pen. Though he had to struggle to
keep his followers from joining in
on the barbaric violence, his ef­
forts would eventually bear fruit.
Peaceful marches, sit-ins and
speeches slowly turned the Civil
Rights Movement in the right di­
rection.
Politicians in power began to
see the wisdom. Changes were
slow. Many more are still needed.
The equality that should have
happened over a hundred years
ago, post Civil War, is still not
here. We still don’t know if it will
ever be. However, thanks to great
leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King,
many positive changes did take
place and still do today because of
his gallant efforts. He pointed us
all in the right direction and led us
as long as his short life allowed him
|p. The rest is up to us.
We have only touched a frac­
tion of all that he held dear. Much
of the information given here to­
day (The Wisdom o f Martin Luther
King Jr., edited by Alex Ayres,
Meridian Books, 1993) is from one
of hundreds of books out there on
this great leader. Celebrate Dr. King
this year by reading about him. Get
to know hi m more than you already
do. Celebrate his legacy and his
dream. Remember his words:
My country ‘tis o f thee, sweet
land o f liberty, o f thee I sing. Land
o f my father’s pride, land o f the
p ilg rim ’s pride. From every
FDIC Insured
mountainside let freedom ring.
Free at last. Thank God al­
mighty. Free at last.
want
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MINISTER wanted
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church council,
teach Sunday schoo,
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w ork w ith y °u th -
.filin g to endure jail
long hours. Should be * ” ^ face of threats
and remain nonv'° ’hhinas and attacks by
against family, s
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police dogs. Other
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250,000 peo-
historic bus b° y cotvJ hington to end legal
pie to march on W
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rights fo r
segregation, and
of the above
millions. Pay low,
honored w ith the
skills may lead to being
Nobel Peace Pnze
Only one man could fill this job.
Let's not forget how much Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sacrificed for all of us. On his birth­
day, let's recommit ourselves to living his dream of freedom, justice, and equality for all.
Washington Mutual
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