King for a day: Some people don't want to honor the memory of Dr. King. Here's why you should

Jewsweek Magazine ^ | 1-19-03 | Marc Howard Wilson

[SJackson]

Jewsweek Magazine I believe that commemorating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King is the right thing. I believe that civic entities should signify the observance with an official holiday. I have always celebrated Dr. King’s life and have forever encouraged others to do so. I have hosted Dr. King’s widow in my pulpit and in my home, was privileged to have Daddy King preach in my synagogue, and I have chaired interfaith services in his memory in three cities.

I celebrate Dr. King not only out of empathy to the African American cause, but because Dr. King’s legacy is about universal ennoblement, the dignity of body, mind and spirit that is the God-granted gift of all Creation. Thus, the following column is not intended to preach to us liberals, but to the most conservative folks among us.

This is what I want to say to the most conservative elements of the national and local community:

If you think, however questionably, that African Americans are ignorant, uppity, intimidating, scrounging for a free lunch, hateful of white folk, immoral . . . then you could do a lot worse than Dr. King as the sine qua non African American role model. In fact, you should encourage that Dr. King’s legacy, and not someone else’s, should be the primary guiding light of African American self-determination. You should do everything in your power to acknowledge Dr. King as the yardstick by which African American parents should measure their children’s achievements and by which the quality of men and women who contend for leadership of the African American community should be judged.

After all, otherwise you might one day wind up with demands for holidays honoring far less illustrious role models, like Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, convicted murderer Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (H. Rap Brown), Snoop Dogg or P. Diddy. And, for God’s sake do not forget that Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIGG are already dead and just aching for martyrdom to consecrate their memories.

Make, as I have, an extensive study of Dr. King’s utilization of Biblical passages in his pronouncements. I have never seen a single passage twisted for venal, violent or self-enriching purposes. Can we say the same of Jesse Jackson?

Then, force yourself to read Dr. King’s I Have a Dream soliloquy. Do you see an appeal for African American dominance over white America? Do you see an exhortation to take anyone else’s piece of the American pie, or to “take” anything at all? Do you see anything about African Americans deserving a free lunch or shunning the societal mainstream to establish a belligerent separatist nation? Do you see anything but a call for equal opportunity and interracial harmony? Can we say the same of Louis Farrakhan or the sordid legacy of H. Rap Brown?

And, then also admit that Dr. King’s legacy is the very antithesis of the sloth, ignorance, crack, cop-killing, and “bitches and ‘ho’s” preached by the prophets of hop-hop and rap.

Anyone who tries to dictate to another person whom his/her role model should be is presumptuous. Yet, we have the right to editorialize and not capitulate to, “Hey, whoever turns you on.” White Americans have every reason to be reminded that Thomas Jefferson, even though he owned slaves and was quite a lady’s man, deserves our adulation over vipers like David Duke. And, African Americans have every reason to be exhorted that Dr. King, for all his frailties, deserves to be celebrated as a role model over Jesse Jackson and Snoop Dogg.

Personally, I see Dr. King’s legacy is an ideal to which all honorable people should aspire. But, to the most conservative among us, I would leave the following admonition:

A holiday to commemorate the legacy of Dr. King is the most desirable of all alternatives, if not for yourselves, then for African Americans. At least Dr. King tried to steer the ship of state out of disaster, rather than into it. If Dr. King is not exalted as a role model, which far less worthy model might be ordained to take his place? As far as I am concerned, we would be hard pressed to do better. If you are a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, at least admit that we could do a lot worse.

[rdb3]

I could care less if MLK had a holiday or not.

What I won't abide is the glossing over of the entire era. People love to point the finger, but won't look in the mirror.

Birth of Tha SYNDICATE, the philosophical heir to William Lloyd Garrison.
101 things that the Mozilla browser can do that Internet Explorer cannot.

[billhilly]

"The blacks can have MLK Day, but I want George Washington Day, Theodore Roosevelt Day, Neil Armstrong Day (first man to step onto the lunar surface), Abraham Lincoln Day (the blacks should clamor for this one), George Patton Day, Robert E. Lee Day, Ulysses S. Grant Day, Albert Einstein Day, Ronald Reagan Day, Orville and Wilbur Wright Day, Alexander Graham Bell Day, Thomas Jefferson Day, and the list goes on and on and on and on and on."

Come on. Fess up. You just want the days off. #;^)

[FBD]

That's my only problem with these holidays.
They are all about govt. workers (that includes teachers) having a paid day off, and a 3 day weekend. Nothing more. I say, commerate the holiday on your own time, and GO TO WORK!

[Youngblood]

"You forgot to mention that he was a damned commie."

So what? Gandhi was leftist also. They both led non-violent struggles against oppression. They're both great men in my book. Someone having socialist leanings does not negate all other good they may have done, especially when it is so far-reaching.

[rdb3]

How do you guys feel about the reparations question?

I view them as most disrespectful to our ancestors who truly did go through slavery. It's nothing more than urinating on their memories and graves.

Birth of Tha SYNDICATE, the philosophical heir to William Lloyd Garrison.
101 things that the Mozilla browser can do that Internet Explorer cannot.

[VRWC For Truth]

Plus a few memorials in the DC mall. Which is more significant? A yearly reminder or a daily reminder in granite.

[Verginius Rufus]

I'm not sure what the statistics cited are supposed to prove--that there was substantial importation of slaves? I think that rate of increase could be entirely, or almost entirely, from natural increase; the number of whites was also increasing rapidly.

According to the 1860 census, there were then 3,953,760 slaves in the United States. Of those, 653,166 were under the age of 5, and another 575,949 were from 5 to 9 years of age, making a total of 1,228,115 under the age of 10, or almost one-third of the total number of slaves. Even if there was some illegal importation of slaves going on, from Africa or from the West Indies, the people being brought in were unlikely to be small children.

From 1850 on the census lists each person separately and gives the person's place of birth. The number of people listed as born in Africa is as follows:

1850: 551
1860: 526
1870: 2657
1880: 2204
1890: 2207.

It's possible that a slaveholder would have lied about the place of birth of one of his slaves, but freedmen in 1870 and afterwards would have had no reason to. The African natives may include some Arabs.

[mhking]

How do you guys feel about the reparations question?

Reparations is a load of used food. I'm on record saying as much both in public and here on FR. (see my article posted at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/681641/posts)

I have no desire to collect any blood money; the charlatans who are peddling that snake oil (i.e., Randall Robinson, John Conyers, et.al.) are no better than any other garden variety scam artist. They are trying to find a way to make money from nothing. They are all on record (including Sharpton & Jackson) as saying that any monies collected from these mindless nuisance lawsuits not go to any individuals; just to "organizations" who are "dedicated to helping blacks" (or to put it in plain English - the money gets to line Jesse's pocket.

I've never had a problem with monies being paid to people affected (i.e., former slaves). But considering none are left alive (and let alone trying to figure out who would pay and if the statute of limitations had run out), the point is moot. Those who are so wrapped up in trying to get their "lottery-type" payday need to get over it and move on.

[ItsJeff]

all those fed bureaucrats that spend their working days thinking up new ways to screw the country, have the day off.

If memory serves, there was a compromise. Federal employees used to get both Washington and Lincoln's birthday off. They were combined into one holiday, "President's Day."

[rdb3]

I could write a dissertation on this, but I'll spare you.

The reparations racket is another attempt at gaining something for nothing. The race hustlers who are using the genuine suffering of our ancestors to fatten their own pockets is disgusting.

I'll have nothing to do with them.

Birth of Tha SYNDICATE, the philosophical heir to William Lloyd Garrison.
101 things that the Mozilla browser can do that Internet Explorer cannot.

[cerberus]

He was human. He had his failings. He had the balls to stand up to those who would have rather have kept blacks "on the plantation".

I agree with you.

I suspect if he were around today he maybe would not be one of my favorite people. Yet, his cause was a just one to correct terrible wrongs that, unfortunately, some seem reluctant to acknowledge even today.

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

I have already conceded that MLK was a positive force, what more do you want? However, the man was not a giant. His accomplishments grow dim in the blazing light of a man like George Washington. But please, spare me the post-modernist drivel and peddle your reformist history elsewhere.

It's laughable that we declare a national holiday in the name of one individual and nearly every private institution is cowed into observing it. But, that flows right along with all of the other ridiculous political correctness we're forced to tolerate every day.

I don't understand your over-emphasis of the word, American, but the values that I hold dear are embodied in the Constitution of the United States of America. And, frankly, I am totally uninterested in how those values benefit anyone who is not a loyal citizen of this great nation.

[mhking]

Well, [chuckle], I appreciate the sentiment. In order, here's (hopefully) reasonable answers to your questions:

1) Before I saw your photo, I thought you were a young guy, not some distinguished looking, young middle-ager. Distinguished-looking? Thanks...[g] As my wife likes to say, I clean up "kind of good"...

2) Your reparations essay is thought-provoking I appreciate it - my biggest goal with my pieces is to provoke honest thought.

3) A poster said you are on the radio. Were and when are you on the dial? I only do fill in work once in a while at WALR-AM in Atlanta (Talkradio 1340AM), but I'll begin doing the first Tuesday of each month on FR Radio on 2/4.

4) What is it like to be a black guy on FR. I dunno - what's it like being a white guy on FR? No, seriously, the biggest difference has to do with dealing with attitudes that are mired in the stone age. There is an element that can't handle the fact that I'm here and that I'm serious about both being here and delivering our conservative message to black America as well as to the mainstream.

5) Growing up black in Gary, how did you come by your conservatism? Rational thought and maturing, actually. I was a traditional black liberal until about ten or so years ago. I found myself beginning to question the so-called leadership and what they were saying and standing for. Suffice it to say (and to make a long story short) I found the answers I was seeking.

6) What part of the Chicago vicinity do you make your home? I don't any more, although my parents are still in Gary, and my brother is in Chicago. I've been in Atlanta for the last 8 1/2 years. I came here as GM of a black talk radio station (where I ticked off a lot of people with my conservatism), and presently am a web developer here.

7) Do social conservatives have a realistic shot at attracting sizable numbers of blacks? In time, yes. There is no instant fix, nor immediate way to get huge numbers across to the right. But considering that in 2000, the black vote for Gore was in the 90-94% range, and in 2002, the black vote in Maryland for Kennedy-Townsend (for example) was between 86 & 90%, I'd say that we are crawling along and that progress is slowly being made. Our work isn't done, but it moves unerringly forward.

8) What is answer to the black problem? The "black problem" is not a true problem. The issue, more appropriately is the "liberal problem" or the "leftist problem." The answer there is the same as it is in the mainstream. More information and more outreach. Something I work to do day in and day out.