The Man Who Had a Dream
"Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains."- Commonly ascribed to, falsely perhaps, to Winston Churchill
Mary at Freedom Eden reminds us that today is Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. He died a couple of months after my birth. If he lived today, he would now be 77. But where would he stand politically? Some people seem to get more feeble-minded, entangled in the decrepid cobwebs of their own close-mindedness, as they hit old age, such as a Senator Robert Byrd or a Harry Belafonte.
If Dr. King had lived even 20...30 years longer, would he have gone the route of a Jesse Jackson? Or would he have evolved the way classic Democrats have, such as a Dennis Prager or a Ronald Reagan? The JFK of the 60's would not even recognize the Democratic Party of today as the Party for which he devoted himself to. Many who once called themselves liberal in their youth, have since matured into staunch conservatives.
Where would Martin Luther King stand today? What would he say? Would he approve of Bill Cosby's message to the black community? Or agree with Democrat Morgan Freeman's statement on 60 Minutes (watch the video)?
"You're going to relegate my history to a month? I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."
Let's also keep in mind the following historical tidbit:
"Black History Month has roots in historian Carter G. Woodson's Negro History Week, which he designated in 1926 as the second week in February to mark the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Woodson said he hoped the week could one day be eliminated - when black history would become fundamental to American history."
15 years after his death, it was President Reagan, (much villified by those who claim that it is liberal policies which help the poor and which make life better for minorities- not the policies promoted by conservative Republicans), who signed the bill honoring Dr. King, as well as honoring the civil rights movement as a whole. Every 3rd Monday in January.
"[The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday]is a time for rejoicing and reflecting. Dr. King's was truly a prophetic voice that reached out over the chasms of hostility, prejudice, ignorance, and fear to touch the conscience of America."
-President Ronald Reagan, 1968
I know not all conservatives are thrilled with Ronald Reagan's positioning on civil rights; and many liberals consider the Reagan Presidency to be the single worst period for racial progress in recent history. But, like all politicians, including George W. Bush who must sometimes moderate his conservative stance on key issues, sometimes you have to, in a sense: create a black history month, before we can arrive at the destination of no longer needing the crutch of a black history month.
4 Rows Back offers his remembrance.
Mary at Freedom Eden reminds us that today is Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. He died a couple of months after my birth. If he lived today, he would now be 77. But where would he stand politically? Some people seem to get more feeble-minded, entangled in the decrepid cobwebs of their own close-mindedness, as they hit old age, such as a Senator Robert Byrd or a Harry Belafonte.
If Dr. King had lived even 20...30 years longer, would he have gone the route of a Jesse Jackson? Or would he have evolved the way classic Democrats have, such as a Dennis Prager or a Ronald Reagan? The JFK of the 60's would not even recognize the Democratic Party of today as the Party for which he devoted himself to. Many who once called themselves liberal in their youth, have since matured into staunch conservatives.
Where would Martin Luther King stand today? What would he say? Would he approve of Bill Cosby's message to the black community? Or agree with Democrat Morgan Freeman's statement on 60 Minutes (watch the video)?
"You're going to relegate my history to a month? I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."
Let's also keep in mind the following historical tidbit:
"Black History Month has roots in historian Carter G. Woodson's Negro History Week, which he designated in 1926 as the second week in February to mark the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Woodson said he hoped the week could one day be eliminated - when black history would become fundamental to American history."
15 years after his death, it was President Reagan, (much villified by those who claim that it is liberal policies which help the poor and which make life better for minorities- not the policies promoted by conservative Republicans), who signed the bill honoring Dr. King, as well as honoring the civil rights movement as a whole. Every 3rd Monday in January.
"[The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday]is a time for rejoicing and reflecting. Dr. King's was truly a prophetic voice that reached out over the chasms of hostility, prejudice, ignorance, and fear to touch the conscience of America."
-President Ronald Reagan, 1968
I know not all conservatives are thrilled with Ronald Reagan's positioning on civil rights; and many liberals consider the Reagan Presidency to be the single worst period for racial progress in recent history. But, like all politicians, including George W. Bush who must sometimes moderate his conservative stance on key issues, sometimes you have to, in a sense: create a black history month, before we can arrive at the destination of no longer needing the crutch of a black history month.
4 Rows Back offers his remembrance.
Labels: Martin Luther King Jr., Morgan Freeman, Racism
posted by The WordSmith from Nantucket at 1/15/2006 04:21:00 PM
2 Comments:
I would think that not only would be unhappy about where the Democratic party has gone, he wouldn't be too happy with where the civil rights movement has gone, either.
I am reasonably certain that Morgan freeman didn't mean it the way i took it, but actually,
"You're going to relegate my history to a month? I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."
I think I agree. There shouldn't be a division there.
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