Detroit Monster
Pamela Hilliard Owens
The monument dedicated to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a beautiful piece of work, and I don't think you will find many people who will disagree with that assessment. It is powerful, artistic, and long, long overdue. It was difficult for many of those in attendance not to become emotional during Sunday's dedication ceremony. But. Here's the thing, at least for me. As beautiful as the monument is, and as glad as I am that it is finally completed and has arrived at its rightful place in history as well as location, a monument has a hard time competing against a movement. And right now the month-old Occupy Wall Street movement, which has gone global (and has now landed full force in my own Detroit), is perhaps the best active reflection of Dr. King's extended philosophy and principles that has been seen since his murder in 1968. Because although King is best known as a civil rights crusader who successfully challenged and defeated the immorality and brutality of legalized segregation, those who know the full 360 degrees of King know that his commitment to peace and justice was much, much broader than that. His vocal opposition to the Vietnam War and his planned participation in a Poor People's March were just two examples of Dr. King's developing belief and growing awareness in his latter years that the entire American system was polluted and corrupt and had to be reformed. It wasn't just black folks who had to be set free, it was the entire country that was being held hostage to an unjust - and government-sanctioned - system of oppression. Not surprisingly, a number of those who supported King in his fight against segregation balked at his audacity to challenge the American War Machine - or anything that extended beyond the boundaries of what was supposed to be of acceptable concern to black folk. President Lyndon Johnson, whose presidency was ultimately destroyed because of his mishandling of the Vietnam War, was one of those who simply could not fathom why King could not be grateful for all the president had done for black folk. Indeed he was said to be outraged - and considered it a personal affront - that King would openly challenge and oppose him on the war after Johnson had moved legislative mountains to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964and then the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well. But as someone who considered himself to be a citizen of the world, not just of Georgia or the United States, King refused to accept the perverse concept that justice should only exist within certain government-prescribed boundaries. Because justice in a cage is not justice at all, but only a diversionary sideshow. And it is that revolutionary spirit of justice unbound which I believe energizes the Occupy Wall Street movement. The people know what is going on, they are fed up, and they simply refuse to lie down and take it anymore. By their sheer numbers and determination they are forcing the world to take notice, and if this momentum keeps up then, well, a change is gonna come. This is being cross-posted at Black Liberal Boomer and Detroit Life
The Black Liberal Boomer Blog
Monument or movement? Which best honors Dr. King?
Fed up with Wall Street
My first reaction when I saw the stories about the protesters doing their occupy Wall Street thing was to raise an eyebrow, sniff, then mutter to myself, "Really? Hmm. Interesting." Then move on to the next story. Because at the time this particular story didn't move me much, and there didn't seem to be much direction or focus to the whole campaign other than a whole lot of pissed off folks who were sick and tired of being sick and tired of corporate greed to the point of where they just couldn't take it anymore 'cause it made them wanna holla and... Wait a minute. I get it now. One of the occasional drawbacks of growing older (which too often is accompanied by having made too many compromises just to get from Point A to Point B that you swore you would never make when you were younger) is this regrettable tendency, unless heavily guarded against, to lose touch with that youthful no-compromise attitude. This is quite similar to the I-ain't-got-a-damn-thing-to-lose-anymore attitude one tends to develop when...well...when you just don't have a damned thing to lose anymore. Having lost my job two months ago, I am being swiftly reacquainted with the college-aged me who led Black Student Union protests down the street against the Klan and chastised fellow students to leave the lunchroom and that sorry-assed food they were hewing on and join us in protest. Anyway, when you lose touch with that (provided you ever had it), chances are you have forgotten that not all protests are meticulously planned in advance, complete with position papers, a speakers roster, PowerPoint presentations, and press releases. Most uprisings are ordinary folks rising up against a perceived injustice, and that's how it always begins. Over time some form of what is commonly recognized as an organization may take form - then again it might not - but the overall point of the uprising is to draw dramatic attention to an egregious wrong that must be corrected. Take the Tea Party for example. To say they make me sick would be quite an understatement, but one thing that cannot be denied is that this is most definitely an uprising and it has been outrageously successful to the point where it has scared the Republicans to death, crippled the Democrats, and single-handedly redirected the national agenda. Sure, word is out that they are receiving considerable funding from wealthy arch-conservatives, but this wouldn't be the first time that an uprising received funds from the more well-to-do. After ll, where is the money supposed to come from? Taxes? And where do you think the money came from for many of the activities engaged in by the civil rights movement? Just ask Harry Belafonte and he can easily tell you where a lot of that money came from since he was one of the principal fundraisers for the movement. Martin Luther King delivered a ton of speeches to raise money for the cause. So here's the thing to keep in mind whenever you hear critics saying that the Wall Street protesters just don't have it together and their demands are all over the place and they're too damned disorganized; revolutions/protests/uprisings are not known for their flawless organization. Especially not in the early stages. What they ARE known for is getting the fire started. Will they ultimately be successful in what they are trying to accomplish? Let's just say that laying waste to the American corporate culture of greed will require...damn...I don't even know all of what it will take to bring down that house. But I do believe that if there is even an inkling of a chance that any progress at all can be made toward this goal, then the Wall Street protests are the definite first step in the right direction. Because if the Tea Party can set fire to common sense and compassion as successfully as they have in such a short time, torching the middle class and the poor in the process, then certainly if enough of us raise our voices and begin to disrupt, somebody will have to listen to us too. Because as both the Tea Party and the Civil Rights Movement have made abundantly clear; you don't have to be in the majority to effect tremendous change, you just have to be pissed off and fearless enough not to take 'no' for an answer. This is being cross-posted at Black Liberal Boomer
Words on Wednesday: A. Philip Randolph, Civil Rights and Union Leader
Asa Philip Randolph (1889 - 1979)
African American Civil Rights Leader and Trade Unionist
Leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP): the first African-American union which in 1937 won a contract from the Pullman Company (the first ever signed by a white employer with an African-American labor leader).
Vice-President of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).
Organized the first March on Washington 1941 to protest exclusion of African-Americans from defense plants; the march was called off only after President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802 to establish the first Fair Employment Practice Committee.
Demanded that segregation in the armed forces be abolished; in 1948 President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981 to racially integrate the armed services.
Helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington for jobs and freedom, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King gave the "I Have a Dream" speech.
