Members burdizzos Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Members burdizzos Posted January 16, 2006 Author Members Posted January 16, 2006 The Norfolk 17 The members of the Norfolk 17 were the true heroes of the school integration struggle in Norfolk, Virginia. As young men and women, they entered six of the previously all-white public schools in the city, persevering in the face of intense racial animosity. In doing so, they secured for themselves, their friends and family, and indeed their entire people, a new place in American society. Many members of the Norfolk 17 were too young to take notice of Brown v. Board of Education, when the case was decided in May 1954. Little did they know that the Supreme Court's historic decision would re-write the story of their lives. At the time, they all attended segregated black schools in Norfolk (or went to school in other locations). Although most of the students have fond memories of their all-black schools, they were well aware of the inequalities within Norfolk's public school system. They knew, for instance, that their textbooks always had the stamp of a nearby white school that had recently received up-dated books. They knew, too, that at white schools students didn't have to wear their coats inside during the winter or move buckets to collect rain water that fell from the ceiling. And, finally, they knew that it was the white community that dominated the city and state government, which was undertaking a strategy of Massive Resistance to the Brown decision to keep them out of white schools, businesses, and other public establishments. During the spring and summer of 1958, the members of the Norfolk 17 were encouraged by their parents, church members, and local civil rights leaders to join with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in its attempt to enforce the Brown decision in Norfolk. At the time, not one public school in the city or state had been integrated, and the members of the Norfolk 17 took a great risk when they agreed to participate. By July 25, they had joined with 134 other students in an attempt to transfer from their black schools into the white schools of the city. This meant that the Norfolk 17 had to take a battery of academic and psychological tests overseen by the members of the school board. On August 18, the school board announced that all 151 transfer requests were denied. Yet, after meeting with District Court Judge Walter E. Hoffman, the board decided that it would grudgingly admit 17 of the 151 applicants to six of the city's all-white secondary schools. This was not the end of the story, however. For, months earlier, the state legislature had passed legislation that empowered the governor to close any Virginia public school, which was
Members burdizzos Posted January 16, 2006 Author Members Posted January 16, 2006 Video of the Famous Speech in wmv format.
Members tcatsdad Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 Because the powers that really be can't tolerate a Black Man that would unify the races in this country. Divide and Conquer. Next time a unifer comes around, black, white or whatever, see what happens.
Members burdizzos Posted January 16, 2006 Author Members Posted January 16, 2006 Yeah, James Earl Ray was part of the establishment. Oh wait, he didn't do it and he was a patsy for a gov't cover up.
Members Fran da Man Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 Originally posted by burdizzos Yeah, James Earl Ray was part of the establishment.Oh wait, he didn't do it and he was a patsy for a gov't cover up. Is this sarcasm?The King Family seems to think this...hhuumm
Members burdizzos Posted January 16, 2006 Author Members Posted January 16, 2006 Originally posted by Fran da Man Is this sarcasm?The King Family seems to think this...hhuumm Lots of people believe lots of things. This thread isn't about conspiracy theories.
Members Fran da Man Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 Originally posted by burdizzos Lots of people believe lots of things. This thread isn't about conspiracy theories.
Members burdizzos Posted January 16, 2006 Author Members Posted January 16, 2006 Originally posted by Fran da Man Or, if you prefer, you can make it about such things. There's absolutely NO evidence to support the claim.So speculate away.
Members lug Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 I'm with burdizzos. Let's celebrate his life and accomplishments today. A man of peace and freedom.
Members burdizzos Posted January 16, 2006 Author Members Posted January 16, 2006 Originally posted by lug I'm with burdizzos. Let's celebrate his life and accomplishments today. A man of peace and freedom. lug has spoken and I'm sure gul is watching, so keep it cool.
Members tcatsdad Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 Ray pulled the trigger. Who ran Ray? Who got him a false passport and out of the country? who ordered the Memphis PD to stand down? Who transferred the only two black fireman out of the nearest firehouse to the King's motel? And why did the three men that had the best chance to turn this country around get killed by "Lone Nuts" over the course of 5 years? JFK and RFK wouldn't read from the approved script. DR. MLK jr. was writing his own script. Each of them posed a serious threat to the real power in this country. All three died of lead poisoning. Connect the dots.
Members willsellout Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 I have a dream of a day off...good stuff.
Members beam Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Members burdizzos Posted January 16, 2006 Author Members Posted January 16, 2006 Bump because he deserves it.
Members lingua latina Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 Props to you sir (burdizzos), for your post(s) and this thread.
Members SoundwaveLove Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 So celebrated, but soo few follow his example.
Members lingua latina Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 Originally posted by tcatsdad Ray pulled the trigger.Who ran Ray? Who got him a false passport and out of the country? who ordered the Memphis PD to stand down? Who transferred the only two black fireman out of the nearest firehouse to the King's motel?And why did the three men that had the best chance to turn this country around get killed by "Lone Nuts" over the course of 5 years?JFK and RFK wouldn't read from the approved script. DR. MLK jr. was writing his own script. Each of them posed a serious threat to the real power in this country. All three died of lead poisoning.Connect the dots. As one who lived in Boston these last 20 years, it's easy to get sucked into the Kennedy PR machine. The fact is both JFK and RFK were very very late to come to the desegregation table. Especially JFK, who wanted to court both the northern and southern democrat vote.
Members J the D Posted January 16, 2006 Members Posted January 16, 2006 Originally posted by burdizzos Yeah, James Earl Ray was part of the establishment.Oh wait, he didn't do it and he was a patsy for a gov't cover up. If someone would demonstrate how Mr. Ray shot through a tree I'd believe he shot the Rev. Dr.
Members burdizzos Posted January 16, 2006 Author Members Posted January 16, 2006 I just came from a speech given by Patricia Turner, one of the Norfolk 17(see above). That was an amazing speech and I wish more kids today could hear what she had to say.
Members burdizzos Posted January 16, 2006 Author Members Posted January 16, 2006 Here are some video interviews with Ms. Turner.http://www.blackhistoryportsmouth.com/brownmovies/pat_turner_1.wmvhttp://www.blackhistoryportsmouth.com/brownmovies/pat_turner_2.wmvhttp://www.blackhistoryportsmouth.com/brownmovies/pat_turner_3.wmv Truly an amazing woman.
Members sheepdog Posted January 17, 2006 Members Posted January 17, 2006 I think it is incredible how some people are able to rise above whatever flaws they might have or negative influences their surroundings threw at them and create/accomplish something truly bigger than themselves. MLKJr was not the only one, but his influence and example changed the entire civil rights movement.
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