Honoring Black Ancestors : 5 Lessons From Martin Luther King Jr. To Apply To Trump’s America

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5 Lessons From Martin Luther King Jr. To Apply To Trump’s America

01/13/2017 11:36 am ET

Trump’s win and America’s divisiveness have left some Americans feeling hopeless ― ---but this country has reckoned with this kind divisiveness before. We’ve gone through Civil War, after all. And Reconstruction. And those decades of Jim Crow that gave way to what we know today as the Civil Rights Movement, an era that more and more feels eerily similar to the one we’re living in today.

Since his assassination in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has gone from being an ordinary man fighting for a righteous cause, to a man who has become as synonymous with the American story as the founding fathers. The memory of Dr. King has been used as a shorthand for morality.

But also, Dr. King’s legacy and what he stood for has been watered down, oversimplified, and appropriated to justify the very things he fought against. His words have been twisted in order to denounce the Black Lives Matter movement, and bolster anti-transgender bathroom bills.

His lessons went far beyond “I Have A Dream.”

1. This is not normal.
We cannot settle into a false sense of complacency and accept the next four years as our “new normal.”

2. Colorblindness isn’t the solution, but focusing on our economic similarities might be.
Trump’s campaign fed on the distrust of the “other,” be they undocumented immigrants or BLM protestors. But what Dr. King knew, and what we shouldn’t lose sight of, is that selling the narrative of fear of the other is simply a tactic to distract from the social issues that plague us.

3. Everyone has to mobilize in the movement for equality.
While social media has changed and even enhanced activist work, Dr. King’s on-the-ground mobilization is something to be emulated. Between 1961 and 1968, the SCLC’s Citizenship Education Program trained over 8,000 people in organizing.

4. All forms of protest should be understood.

“Urban riots... may be deplored, but they are there and should be understood. They are not insurrections. The rioters are not seeking to seize territory or to attain control of institutions. They are mainly intended to shock the white community,” King said in a 1967 speech. He explained that riots are a “distorted form of social protest,” and that looting “enables the most enraged and deprived Negro to take hold of consumer goods with the ease the white man does by using his purse.”
He added: “But most of all, alienated from society and knowing that this society cherishes property above people, he is shocking it by abusing property rights. There are thus elements of emotional catharsis in the violent act.”

5. The concept of love.

Dr. King is best known for his message of love and non-violence towards the oppressor. But King was not necessarily a pacifist. His commitment to love and non-violence was not idealistic ― it was a calculated tactic. When he talked about love, King often referred to “agape,” the highest form of love, a spiritual love. In a 1957 essay Dr. King explained the concept this way:

“In speaking of love we are not referring to some sentimental emotion. It would be nonsense to urge men to love their oppressors in an affectionate sense … When we speak of loving those who oppose us we speak of a love which is expressed in the Greek word Agape. Agape means nothing sentimental or affectionate; it means understanding, redeeming goodwill for all men, an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. ”

* 5 Lessons From Martin Luther King Jr. To Apply To Trump's America ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...or-trumps-america_us_5874fae0e4b043ad97e5bf75 - 599k - Cached - Similar pages


 
5 Lessons From Martin Luther King Jr. To Apply To Trump’s America

01/13/2017 11:36 am ET

Trump’s win and America’s divisiveness have left some Americans feeling hopeless ― ---but this country has reckoned with this kind divisiveness before. We’ve gone through Civil War, after all. And Reconstruction. And those decades of Jim Crow that gave way to what we know today as the Civil Rights Movement, an era that more and more feels eerily similar to the one we’re living in today.

Since his assassination in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has gone from being an ordinary man fighting for a righteous cause, to a man who has become as synonymous with the American story as the founding fathers. The memory of Dr. King has been used as a shorthand for morality.

But also, Dr. King’s legacy and what he stood for has been watered down, oversimplified, and appropriated to justify the very things he fought against. His words have been twisted in order to denounce the Black Lives Matter movement, and bolster anti-transgender bathroom bills.

His lessons went far beyond “I Have A Dream.”

1. This is not normal.
We cannot settle into a false sense of complacency and accept the next four years as our “new normal.”

2. Colorblindness isn’t the solution, but focusing on our economic similarities might be.
Trump’s campaign fed on the distrust of the “other,” be they undocumented immigrants or BLM protestors. But what Dr. King knew, and what we shouldn’t lose sight of, is that selling the narrative of fear of the other is simply a tactic to distract from the social issues that plague us.

3. Everyone has to mobilize in the movement for equality.
While social media has changed and even enhanced activist work, Dr. King’s on-the-ground mobilization is something to be emulated. Between 1961 and 1968, the SCLC’s Citizenship Education Program trained over 8,000 people in organizing.

4. All forms of protest should be understood.

“Urban riots... may be deplored, but they are there and should be understood. They are not insurrections. The rioters are not seeking to seize territory or to attain control of institutions. They are mainly intended to shock the white community,” King said in a 1967 speech. He explained that riots are a “distorted form of social protest,” and that looting “enables the most enraged and deprived Negro to take hold of consumer goods with the ease the white man does by using his purse.”
He added: “But most of all, alienated from society and knowing that this society cherishes property above people, he is shocking it by abusing property rights. There are thus elements of emotional catharsis in the violent act.”

5. The concept of love.

Dr. King is best known for his message of love and non-violence towards the oppressor. But King was not necessarily a pacifist. His commitment to love and non-violence was not idealistic ― it was a calculated tactic. When he talked about love, King often referred to “agape,” the highest form of love, a spiritual love. In a 1957 essay Dr. King explained the concept this way:

“In speaking of love we are not referring to some sentimental emotion. It would be nonsense to urge men to love their oppressors in an affectionate sense … When we speak of loving those who oppose us we speak of a love which is expressed in the Greek word Agape. Agape means nothing sentimental or affectionate; it means understanding, redeeming goodwill for all men, an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. ”

* 5 Lessons From Martin Luther King Jr. To Apply To Trump's America ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...or-trumps-america_us_5874fae0e4b043ad97e5bf75 - 599k - Cached - Similar pages





NBC TODAY Show
Remembering Martin Luther King, and the Work Still to Be Done
03:24•Excerpt

For TODAY, NBC’s Harry Smith has a look at the life of American icon Martin Luther King, his dream, and the long road ahead to truly achieve it.

Episode Aired: 1/17/2016•Not Rated•NBC News

https://view.yahoo.com/show/nbc-tod...ilyyahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=yahoo


...
 
...
On this MLK Day, it’s more important than ever to fight hate and bigotry

... But on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we recognize that this is no time to wax poetic about past triumphs or rest on our laurels. Now more than ever, we must build a strong coalition of now ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin..._term=.3ad4a08f625c&wpisrc=nl_opinions&wpmm=1

Radical_King_18581.jpg-b3d34-1893.jpg

In this May 17, 1967, photo, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks at the University of California administration building in Berkeley, Calif. (Associated Press)

By Cornell William Brooks and Jonathan Greenblatt January 16


...

 
Martin Luther scared the hell out of the whites in his era, they never saw a black who could influence a whole nation like Dr.king, even white Americans begged him to join his movement, that's what scared em, the government feared Martin Luther King had the potential to unite america, he was greater than anything they could produce, greater than any king or president, although he meant no harm to anyone, they felt it would be safer to kill him and be done with it, it was for their peace of mind, to protect the status quo, no matter how good they were at manipulating the masses, they couldn't hold a candle to the fervor Martin Luther's righteous spirit spread across America
 

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