Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Today we remember and celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A champion of civil rights, justice, nonviolent resistance, antipoverty, global peace...A great American who was taken from us way too early at the age of 39 but whose message will live on forever.
While there were proposals for a federal holiday honoring Dr. King shortly after his assassination in 1968, the first bill, sponsored by Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan) and Senator Edward Brooke (R-Massachusetts), was not introduced until 1979. It fell five votes short of passage in the House. Renewed efforts were made until it was passed by Congress in 1983, with votes of 338–90 in the House and 78–22 in the Senate, and signed into law under President Reagan. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one of only three US federal holidays named after an individual (Washington and Columbus) and the only holiday named after a private US citizen (source).
I think I'll spend a little time this morning (re)reading his "Letter from Birmingham Jail".
Be good to one another. Peace to you all.
![Darkness cannot drive out darkness...." Martin Luther King Jr. [640x480] | King quotes, Martin luther king jr quotes, Martin luther king quotes](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1f/33/39/1f33396faf725d33005d6f4c63e98c85.jpg)
January 16th, 2023 at 10:35 AM ^
Greatest leader this nation has seen. Glad to honor him today.
January 16th, 2023 at 11:23 AM ^
For all of his moral leadership MLK had the advantage of not having to contend with the moral ambiguity of politics. He could speak in righteous tones because he was responsible for no one. He held no office of public responsibility. The existence of a nation did not rest upon his actions.
Lincoln had to contend with the pressure of saving the Union while watching one of his children die and his wife go to pieces over said child’s death. Lincoln was a superior leader. Without him there is no country.
January 16th, 2023 at 11:44 AM ^
I agree. I’ve read plenty of MLK biographies. I just don’t view him as a political figure (but I know many do). His views and approach will stand the test of time.
January 16th, 2023 at 11:56 AM ^
They won’t unfortunately. Humans are violent. To pretend otherwise is to kid oneself.
Nat Turner’s actions WILL last the test of time because they are actions humans have done for 150,000 years.
MLK’s approach wouldn’t work vs China for example. They disappear him long before he had a chance to become so renowned. When governments control everything critical to promotion and sustaining of movements(education, media, entertainment) it’s exceedingly hard, if not impossible, to have civil rights movements of the kind King led.
Centralized power is a threat to us all. It’s unfortunate we don’t recognize this.
January 16th, 2023 at 2:01 PM ^
You're pretending that you know more about his life and work than you--pretty obviously--really do. He said repeatedly during his later years that nonviolence was a strategy--as Gandhi also said--one that proved right for the moment. He acknowledged that under certain circumstances violence was necessary, too. The nonviolence of Black children and elders made a powerful statement in comparison to the savagery of Bull Connor and those who violently opposed them. And it was his increasingly politicized stances, as he turned from an emphasis on race to organizing poor people, generally, that got him killed.
The nation hasn't been too interested in any of what King, an avowed socialist, had to say about much of anything, except to swipe a few phrases from speeches and display his image annually in the interest of feeling good. Long fucking way to go.
Not political my tates.
January 16th, 2023 at 2:35 PM ^
"The nation hasn't been too interested in any of what King, an avowed socialist, had to say about much of anything, except to swipe a few phrases from speeches and display his image annually in the interest of feeling good. Long fucking way to go. "
It is true he had many economically illiterate views. Those views are ignored because they are outside his core competency. He was a preacher not an economist. There are a lot of successful people who have not very well thought out views outside their core competency .
Martin Luther King was very courageous and paved an inclusive way forward in treating people equally. That example is the lesson the world has rightfully learned and why he deserves to be revered as a great man.
January 16th, 2023 at 4:03 PM ^
“It is true he had many economically illiterate views. Those views are ignored because they are outside his core competency.”
Strongly disagree. His economic views weren’t illiterate just because you don’t agree with them.
Additionally, I don’t think you quite understand how important churches are economically and culturally to our communities. Black pastors have immense economic power and influence, and while that may not always have good outcomes, they are intricately connected to the Black economic power.
Dr. King became a labor rights organizer and was angling to unionize the working class of all races because he knew that dismantling unfair power structures was going to take everyone. As another poster noted, he got killed for it. So did Fred Hampton.
By the way, the Montgomery bus boycott (and the lesser-known Louisiana one) wouldn’t have worked nearly as well as it did without its economic impact.
January 16th, 2023 at 4:36 PM ^
"Strongly disagree. His economic views weren’t illiterate just because you don’t agree with them"
I'll rephrase. My Greg Mankiw economics textbook and the supplemental reading I still have from Jan Gerson's Econ 101 class at Michigan would not be favorable to the general thrust of where you are going with your post.
It is fine that you see the world as one big class power struggle like Marx. A Michigan sports forum is probably not the place to debate. And frankly, I don't respect that viewpoint and don't see it worthy of debate.
January 16th, 2023 at 6:56 PM ^
Next year you're gonna be in here regurgitating Gordon Wood, talking about, you know, the pre-revolutionary utopia and the capital-forming effects of military mobilization.
January 16th, 2023 at 1:12 PM ^
Great post Salvatore
January 16th, 2023 at 4:19 PM ^
While the US histories revere Lincoln, because he contributed to the start of the bloodiest war in US history I don't think he should be regarded as a great US leader.
January 16th, 2023 at 4:32 PM ^
The South was never going to abide northern political dominance, which was inevitable because of population dynamics. The South launched the war without Lincoln's provocation and was preparing for it the second an anti-expansion of slavery candidate was elected. This is a Lost Cause myth.
January 16th, 2023 at 7:27 PM ^
amazing how many of those persist; even in this thread
January 16th, 2023 at 1:58 PM ^
Oh come on! A great man, a great role model, but not the greatest leader we have ever had.
January 16th, 2023 at 5:19 PM ^
Hey. Just my opinion. That’s all.
January 16th, 2023 at 4:26 PM ^
The OP mentioned some key players (Reagan made this a holiday with much reluctance). But Michigans own Stevie Wonder is the one who carried the torch to make this a federal holiday. He campaigned and championed the cause for a decade or more. Every award speech. Every TV appearance. Every public appearance.
January 16th, 2023 at 10:37 AM ^
As an example of how far we still need to go, Alabama is also observing Robert E. Lee's Birthday today.
January 16th, 2023 at 10:43 AM ^
As a native of Virginia, who has the ability to see nuance in history, I feels sad for you.
January 16th, 2023 at 10:54 AM ^
I assume you also celebrate the birthday of Benedict Arnold, a great military leader who committed treason against the nascent United States.
January 16th, 2023 at 11:05 AM ^
Mind if I amend your sentence?
"I assume you also celebrate the birthday of Benedict Arnold, a great military leader who [ALSO] committed treason against the United States."
January 16th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
We really should celebrate Jared from SubWay, who was a tremendous spokesperson for healthy lifestyles and weight loss who [ALSO] fucked some underage girls and was imprisoned for kiddie porn.
January 16th, 2023 at 11:31 AM ^
All of the Founding Fathers were traitors. They worked to overthrow the legally constituted authority. They by right ought to have swung.
Like it or not the precedent for secession was established in the Revolutionary period. The South had a *right* to secede even if the basis for secession was morally repugnant.
The North did not fight to free the enslaved. They fought to preserve the Union. Huge moral difference there.
January 16th, 2023 at 1:51 PM ^
The North did not begin the war to free the enslaved.
But events, enslaved action, activists' pressure, and Lincoln's leadership turned it into a war to free the slaves.
January 16th, 2023 at 4:22 PM ^
This is correct and the downvotes show how history is taught in the US Most of the wars the US has taken part of should not have happened
January 16th, 2023 at 10:56 AM ^
Yeah, there's a ton of nuance involved in a place celebrating a confederate leader on MLK day, lmao.
January 16th, 2023 at 11:06 AM ^
The people who push such reactionary legislation are not known for--or indeed, trying--for subtlety.
January 16th, 2023 at 1:13 PM ^
CN - Well, to be fair, Lee’s birthday did come first. They didn’t “decide” to celebrate on MLK day.
January 16th, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
JHayes: Tell us about the nuance of owning, exploiting and oppressing people.
January 16th, 2023 at 11:03 AM ^
I knew the MAGAs would flock to this thread and post their nonsense. I just didn’t think it would be the 3rd comment.
January 16th, 2023 at 12:18 PM ^
this is stupid, lazy, and only fans the flames of the political divide. i didn't vote for Trump but being republican / Trump supporter doesn't make you racist.
I guarantee you that all 74.2 million people that voted for Trump are not racist. I also guarantee that there are plenty of Biden voters who are, in fact, racist.
Racism is a moral failure, not a pre-requisite of political affiliation.
January 16th, 2023 at 12:54 PM ^
There are better definitions of racism than the one you're using. How does psychological bias play a role in your model of racism? How do you explain Lakisha and Jamal vs. Emily and Greg with this definition?
Why can't we define actions/behaviors as racist instead of labeling people (which is what you're doing)?
January 16th, 2023 at 1:02 PM ^
How do you explain Lakisha and Jamal vs. Emily and Greg with this definition
no idea who they are, or what this means, so I cannot comment
Why can't we define actions/behaviors as racist instead of labeling people (which is what you're doing)
we can. but I don't see how voting for Trump is a racist act. maybe they thought his proposed fiscal policies would be better for them and their family.
January 16th, 2023 at 1:28 PM ^
Repeated findings that identical resumes topped with "black sounding" names like Lakisha and Jamal will get fewer responses than "white sounding" names like Emily and Greg. The problem with racism is more often that it's systemic than a personal failing.
Couple other examples: Black/Hispanic and especially Native American kids get suspended way more often and have fewer opportunities to take AP/honors classes
January 16th, 2023 at 2:25 PM ^
Repeated findings that identical resumes topped with "black sounding" names like Lakisha and Jamal will get fewer responses than "white sounding" names like Emily and Greg. The problem with racism is more often that it's systemic than a personal failing
Ahh, gotcha. I knew that. It is terrible and I am glad we, as a society, are working on this (at least some of us). Bias is inherent in everyone (racial, religious, etc.). My company does regular DE&I training and the one thing I have discovered is we ALL have bias. It may not be racial, but we all have biases we can work on.
January 16th, 2023 at 4:24 PM ^
Well as Thomas Sowell has noted- when you create a protected class (minorities) in terms of hiring then many employers will be less likely to hire because it is more expensive and risky due to legal protections if the person is fired.
January 16th, 2023 at 1:54 PM ^
BotH SiDEs!!!! Amirite?
January 16th, 2023 at 2:24 PM ^
I guarantee you that Trump has a long well-known history of prejudice and discrimination, back to when he and his father were together found guilty of racism in their rental practices. Trump made discriminatory statements about Latino immigrants from the day he ran for President in the 2016 election. These are facts which Trump-voters either knew or could easily have discovered.
January 16th, 2023 at 2:32 PM ^
ok, and that's one reason I didn't vote for him, but that doesn't mean that people that voted for him are racist.
unless people voting for Biden are also <insert bad things he has done>. I mean, Biden has a long history of racism (pro-segregation etc.) in has past as well.
my point is that voting for someone doesn't mean you're 100% in support of everything they do or say, both now and in the past. it just means you think they'd be best for what YOUR priorities are in life.
January 16th, 2023 at 4:31 PM ^
my point is that voting for someone doesn't mean you're 100% in support of everything they do or say, both now and in the past. it just means you think they'd be best for what YOUR priorities are in life.
Some would argue that if your own personal priorities are more important than systemic societal racism, you're not as free and clear from said racism as you seem to think you are. Someone once said something about it: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
Who was that again?
January 16th, 2023 at 8:11 PM ^
Than we as a country are fucked because I guarantee over half the politicians, regardless of party, have injustices littered in their background
January 17th, 2023 at 12:30 PM ^
I would argue that we as a country are fucked because we've been conditioned over the past 40 years to only give a crap about ourselves. Helping anyone else has been labeled as "socialism" or "free stuff" or "handouts" and giving equal rights to marginalized groups has been painted as "taking something away from" the people not in those groups.
People vote for politicians that they think will enact policies that fit their world view. It's not the politicians (well, in some cases, it is). It's the people.
January 16th, 2023 at 2:38 PM ^
Which quotes are you referring to?
January 16th, 2023 at 11:17 AM ^
There is nothing right about the Confederacy. Slavery was, is, and always be wrong. The issue never was about "State's Rights" (which is also a big steaming pile of dog [redacted]). Giving reverence to the bastards (e.g., statues and confederate flags) that championed slavery is just another continuance of racism that lives on all over this country.
January 16th, 2023 at 11:43 AM ^
People revere Angela Davis and Fred Hampton, both Marxists. Marxism has only killed about 50 million people and used state violence with far greater frequency than the US(ironic considering Hampton’s death). People revere FDR, a man who committed massive war crimes and put people into concentration camps. I could go on for days about all the horrible humans people idolize.
People idolized horrendous people because they have been indoctrinated to see in those people traits they see as noble. Unfortunately they all too often ignore the unsavory reality of the person’s character.
MLK cheated on his wife multiple times and had a blind spot towards the crimes of socialism. Yet that will be ignored today because this country is as hypocritical as it ever has been. It’s just now that the hypocrites wear different ideological colors than before. No one really wants to talk about history truthfully.
January 16th, 2023 at 12:54 PM ^
Salvatore, there are times I think you are a total buffoon, and yet at other times you provide remarkable insight. The above tends more toward the latter. Yes, good analogies. Perhaps a bit excessive on the cynicism, but worth a moment's reflection.
I'm sure my approval makes your day. You're welcome, sir!
January 16th, 2023 at 12:55 PM ^
Reread your comments on this thread and notice how you have been posting only positive comments about white people in history, and only negative comments about Black people in history. Then do better....
January 16th, 2023 at 1:19 PM ^
maybe you should reread them since he pointed out the massive failings of FDR. In fact, he was most negative about him.
I mean, I'm no historian but I'm pretty sure FDR was white.
January 16th, 2023 at 2:50 PM ^
I think you are giving the most uncharitable interpretation possible of Martin Luther King. In between having bad economic views and being perhaps not the greatest person, he did a lot of good. He very easily could have fomented violence and hatred instead he advocated changing people's hearts and minds. Martin Luther King is similar to Nelson Mandela in that respect. You could also say the same for Thomas Jefferson's personal life, who was one of the most important people in history in terms of spreading prosperity and freedom.
Lumping Communists like Angela Davis (who has no redeeming quality) with FDR and MLK seems pretty unfair. I guess it is ultimately because of the left wing economics but there is a pretty huge gap between a literal Communist who wants to destroy the freedom of Western civilization and MLK and FDR
January 16th, 2023 at 2:55 PM ^
Wow! Glass house much? You have a lot of gaul. To go behind a man that is of course, dead. To judge his or her shortcomings is a little shortsighted. One day you too will have a obituary.
January 16th, 2023 at 5:17 PM ^
Neither Marxism nor any political philosophy kills people. Individuals make choices to kill people, sometimes with a weapon and sometimes with policy. There is nothing fundamental about any economic or political system that makes it more "deadly" than any other. Any system can be put to reasonable ends by reasonable people, and any system can do the opposite in the hands of unreasonable people.