King and Wright: Did your parents Hate and Fear King?

[F.O.LTS]

<p>In 1963, my thirty something parents, with a flock of small children, embraced a militant King and the civil rights movements.</p>

<p>Compared to the way the Boomers reacted to the far less militant Wright, my white parents and their ordinary suburban friends were braver.</p>

<p>Here is the prepared speech that King gave on 28 August 1963:</p>

<p>

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. 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. And 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. And 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.

[American</a> Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have a Dream](<a href=“http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm]American”>Martin Luther King I Have a Dream Speech - American Rhetoric)</p>

<p>This was part of the militant, prepared speech that King gave. But then, as he was about to sit down, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson called out to him:</p>

<p>

“Tell them about your dream, Martin! Tell them about the dream!” Encouraged by shouts from the audience, King drew upon some of his past talks, and the result became the landmark statement of civil rights in America – a dream of all people, of all races and colors and backgrounds, sharing in an America marked by freedom and democracy.

[U.S&lt;/a&gt;. GOVERNMENT &gt; Introduction to the U.S. System &gt; Guiding Principles &gt; Basic Readings in U.S. Democracy](<a href=“http://usinfo.state.gov/infousa/government/overview/38.html]U.S”>http://usinfo.state.gov/infousa/government/overview/38.html)</p>

<p>Compare that to the ‘outrageous’ but far tamer NAACP speech that Wright gave, the speech that forced Obama to sever contact.</p>

<p>

I believe change is going to come because many of us are committed to changing how we see others who are different. One is not superior to the other. One is not normal with the other being abnormal. One is not deficient because it doesn’t follow the same methodology of the other. It is just different. Different does not mean deficient. Tell your neighbor one more time.</p>

<p>I come from a religious tradition that did not hold slaves, but preached against slavery and worked to end slavery. I come from a religious tradition that fought against Lansing like the NAACP, fought against discrimination like the NAACP and fought against skin privilege, fought against apartheid, fought again unfair labor practices, fought against segregation, fought against Plessy versus Ferguson.</p>

<p>I also come from a religious tradition that say if you feel excited about something, be excited about it. Don’t stand there if he has hate speech. Listen to how bombastic he is. Isn’t he bombastic? He’s stirring up hate.</p>

<p>You love somebody? Yes. Oh how I love Jesus because he first loved me. No. No. No. If you feel it - I come from a religious tradition where we shout in the sanctuary and march on the picket line. I come from a religious tradition where we give God the glory and we give the devil the blues. The black religious tradition is different. We do it a different way. 40 years ago, Dr. Anthony (inaudible) quoted in '68 the Kerner report stated that they were two different Americas. And for 40 years one of those Americas has acted as if they were the only America. But all of that now is in the past. I believe a change is coming. Because many of us are going to change how we see others who are different. …</p>

<p>Many of us are committed to changing how we see others who are different. Number one, many of us are committed to changing how we see ourselves, not stepchildren, number two but God’s children. Many of us are committed to changing, number three, the way we treat each other. The way black men treat black women. The way black parents treat black children. The way black youth treat black elders and the way black elders treat black youth. We are committed to changing the way we treat each other. The way the so called haves and have mores, to use Bush’s speech writers term. Don’t you all think he made that up? The way the have and have mores treat the have notes. The way the educated treat the uneducated. The way those with degrees treat those who never made it through high school. The way those of us who never got caught treat those of us who are incarcerated. Making rehabilitation a priority over incarceration.</p>

<p>We are committed to changing the way we treat each other. The way we treat the latest immigrants because everybody in here who’s not an Indian do be an immigrant. Some of you all came on a decks of ship and some of us came on the bows and hauls of the ship, but we all are immigrants. The way we treat non Christians and folks who don’t believe what we believe, we’re committed to changing the way we treat each other.

[Transcript</a> of Jeremiah Wright’s speech to NAACP - CNN.com](<a href=“http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/28/wright.transcript/]Transcript”>Transcript of Jeremiah Wright's speech to NAACP - CNN.com)</p>

[simba]

<p>do you think this election is only about embracing black equality? do believe that by supporting Obama you can have a bragging right to tell your grand children that just like their great grand parents you were brave enough to support a black candidate?</p>

[F.O.LTS]

<p>um…could you make a small attempt at civility simba?</p>

<p>I am a former Hillary supporter turned Obama supporter. ‘Bragging’ doesn’t enter into my analysis. The historical comparisons interest me.</p>

[simba]

<p>your other posts don’t appear to be that civil.</p>

[mini]

<p>In my neighborhood, the folks down the block who attended the March on Washington were immediately branded as Communists. It didn’t help that one daughter attended a Communist university (University of Wisconsin), another went to Australia to raise sheep, and they cemented in their tiny 12x14 front lawn, put chaise lounges out, and drank martinis while covered by sleeping bags.</p>

[ellemenope]

<p>^Aaaah, the 60s…</p>

[mini]

<p>The fact that they actually WERE Communists had nothing to do with it. ;)</p>

[overseas]

<p>Oh, that is so funny. My parents didn’t seem to mind about King. They just didn’t know what to do when my sister married a black jazz musician!!! I can laugh now. It was pretty traumatic at the time. But what a family we have now!</p>

[mini]

<p>I hope he didn’t wear sandals WITH SOCKS! :rolleyes:</p>

[overseas]

<p>OMG…what an offense! Everyone did!!!</p>

[dmd77]

<p>My father was the editor of a major newspaper. He got awards for his support of the Civil Rights movement, including one from Coretta Scott King. I am proud when I remember that my parents refused to join any club that didn’t admit ANYONE who applied. They were asked to join the local country club–but refused when they discovered there were not only no black members, but no Jewish members. (In fact, that club admitted a black man before it admitted Jews–because a member married a black man.)</p>

[mini]

<p>Boy…Not where I and other real AMERICANS lived.</p>

[overseas]

<p>In 1965 SF Bay Area if you were white and sat with someone black in a restaurant you would definitely get stares and most probably be asked to leave. No kidding. But it would be o.k. to wear sandals with socks! Maybe it was a SF thing.</p>

[mini]

<p>DefinAtely! I’ll bet there were Communists with black berets too.</p>

[overseas]

<p>At least the black berets!</p>

[interesteddad]

<p>Apparently the Democrat nominee hates King. Cornell West is taking him to task for not uttering Dr. King’s name in his acceptance festival on the anniversary of King’s speech.</p>

[poetsheart]

<p>Yeah, and Cornell West speaks for the entire Democratic Party.:rolleyes:</p>

[poetsheart]

<p>And Dr. King was a “communist”, because he didn’t Kiss America’s ass, grovel at her feet, and proclaim, “I’s jes so thankful for scraps off yo table, Mr. Charlie. Yes sir, you be’s so good to me.”:rolleyes:</p>

[zoosermom]

<p>

In my neighborhood, the folks down the block who attended the March on Washington were immediately branded as Communists.

Did they build bombs? Put nails in 'em?</p>

<p>The difference was that Dr. King wanted black America to be lifted up, and that’s a darn good thing. Lots of people in my family’s circle marched. My mom did not because she had 5 kids and a husband in the Pacific. However, she lives tolerance and does good things in her everyday life, just as I do in mine.</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>Well we lived in the liberal hotbed of Kirkland wa, & some of our neighbors were Reed graduates so you know what that said about them.
;)</p>

<p>King spoke @ my daughters high school, when area churches were afraid to host his visit.</p>