Dandelion Salad
Previously published on Jan. 20, 2013
January 15, 2024
“One day we must ask the question, “Why are there forty million poor people in America?” And when you begin to ask that question, you’re raising a question about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy.” — Martin Luther King, Jr., “Where Do We Go From Here?” Aug. 16, 1967
“These are revolutionary times. All over the globe, men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression, and out of the wombs of a frail world new systems of justice and equality are being born. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are rising up as never before. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” — Martin Luther King, Jr., “Beyond Vietnam – A Time to Break Silence,” April 4, 1967
The Radicalization of Martin Luther King
The Real News Network on Jan 20, 2013
Anthony Monteiro: Obama’s presidency has nothing to do with the legacy of King, it’s actually the opposite.
Martin Luther King: Where Do We Go From Here?
Vphiamer Adis Ogaarwa on May 22, 2014
A wonderful speech by King detailing where the civil rights movement has been and where it needed to go.
Where Do We Go From Here?
By Rev. Martin Luther King
August 16, 1967
Excerpts taken from Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech at the Southern Christian Leadership Council, Atlanta, Georgia. August 16, 1967.
“Let this affirmation be our ringing cry. It will give us the courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.
“Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Let us realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: “Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again.” Let us go out realizing that the Bible is right: “Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” This is our hope for the future, and with this faith we will be able to sing in some not too distant tomorrow, with a cosmic past tense, “We have overcome! We have overcome! Deep in my heart, I did believe we would overcome.””
Read more at the transcript.
From the archives:
Happy New Year! Who Was The Radical MLK?
I Have a Dream, a Blurred Vision by Michael Parenti
Martin Luther King. Jr.: The Three Evils of Society: Racism, Militarism and Capitalism
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr: I Have Been to the Mountain Top + MLK, in His Own Words
Hello ,
I was looking to reference an article of yours, among others, found on courtfool.info, but the site is offline, at least here in the states. Has its contents been moved to a new website, or URL? If so, could you let me know where this is.
(Sorry for the English)
Thank you
Daniel
Hi Daniel, I don’t know. Rudo left this email address on his article, https://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2016/03/11/the-road-to-democracy-by-rudo-de-ruijter/ courtfool@xs4all.nl. You could try writing to him.
Daniel, I just emailed Rudo, so will let you know if he replies.
We have been conditioned to view Martin Luther King Jr. as merely a dreamer, a proponent of non-violence not the radical dedicated to dismantling the evil and wickedness of the American socio-economic system that he was. King used the tactics of mass organizing, non-violent civil disobedience, non-compliance, economic boycotts, pickets and demonstrations to bring down oppressive Southern racial caste and derail the US military -industrial complex’s imperialistic war in Indochina.
The ruling class has succeeded in transforming King’s legacy as an uncompromising challenger of the status quo into a harmless “day of service” that uncritically maintains the very structures King was determined to topple and transform.
Thanks, From the Ramparts, so agree.
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