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M artin L uther K ing J r ,
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R emembering
Martin Luther
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January 13, 2010
From King
The sobering
realities of a
dream
Before King's name had be­
come a household name, there
was a genuine disagreement
among those seeking to address
the plight of African Americans.
Booker T. W ashington, a
by J ake T homas
noted educator and college ad­
T he P ortland O bserver
ministrator who preceded King,
Barack Obama stood be­ called on blacks to accom m o­
fore an exuberant crowd of date whites while working to­
thousands in Hyde Park on a ward their self betterment. Oth­
balmy November night in Chi­ ers, like W.E.B. Du Bois, took
cago after ha vi ng just shattered a markedly different approach,
aglassceilingthatmanythought calling blacks to challenge
was unbreakable.
whites on all grounds.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose
After King's death in 1968,
generation helped pave the way the civil rights movement was
for the historic event, teared up left fragmented, and many of
as the crowd stood captive.
the fault lines in black American
But while a nation built on the became more pronounced, ac­
backs’ of slaves has given a cording to Flemming. And as a
black man its top post, many new generation of African
African Americans are still en­ American leaders won elective
tangled with same set of prob­ office, they found themselves
lems that confronted pervious confronted with an unexpected
generations.
set of realities that further di­
B lacks are poorer than their vorced them from the condi­
white counterparts, live shorter tions of ordinary blacks.
lives, are more likely to be sick,
The extensive interviews with
more likely to be incarcerated, black elected officials, which
and are more likely to die a include former Senator Carol
violent death.
M oseley B raun and Rep.
How is it that more than 40 Eleanor Holmes Norton, reveal
years after King led a move­ that many worry that i f they fight
ment that reshaped the con­ for social programs and other
tours of the nation's concep­ initiatives directly relevant to
tions ot justice that these prob­ their black constituents they will
lems seem as deeply entrenched appear irrelevant with their less-
as ever? How is it that the U.S. sympathetic white colleagues,
can elect a black man as presi­ causing them to lose political
dent, and produce more black clout and campaign funds.
millionaires than any other coun­
Fleming also notes that the
try, but still have such a large media has a tendency to identify
number of African Americans "leaders" in the African Ameri­
facing such sobering realities? can community, many of whom
Historian Cynthia Griggs have thin connections to the ac­
Fleming attempts to answer tual community^ further exacer­
these questions in "Yes we Did? bating the phenomenon.
From King-'s Dream to Obama's
O f particular interest, is the
Promise" (University of Ken­ chapter on the generational di­
tucky Press.)
vide between older African
Based on numerous inter­ A m erican, which includes
views with elected black offi­ prominent people in business
cials and a sharp awareness of and politics, and the “hip hop
events that sculpted black generation’’, whom Fleming
America, Fleming seems to sug­ suggests, are apolitical, chau­
gest that there are few genuine vinistic, andalmostentirely cen­
black leaders, but, instead, tered on the quickly accumulat­
"leading blacks." Shepointsout ing ad flaunting wealth.
that the crusade for the i mpro ve-
While, "Yes We Did?" pro­
ment of the lives of African vides an interesting narrative of
Americans has always been far the development o f black lead-
from monolithic.
ership in the U.S., it seems in-