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Joanna

A very interesting blog for me to read.

Being Canadian, we mostly were shocked at the racism issues in the U.S.A. and I remember listening to Mr. King and felt he was a prophet sent to cure the terrible ills of racism.

Now that isn't to say that racism didn't exist in Canada, but we certainly didn't have the same numbers of black people in the country.

posted by WileyJohn on February 5, 2007 at 5:23 PM | link to this | reply

Thank You Talion and Black Pearl1

Talion,

I appreciated your insight and sharing your history with me. I find it very interesting to hear your thoughts on Dr. King and how he would be received today.

It is obvious he was killed because people were becoming intimidated by his clout or the power they pre-sumed he had. I have an old 45 LP of one of his sermons that I listened to. When Dr. King speaks, I do not see him on the same level and Jackson and Sharpton. I feel that Jackson and Sharpton have utilized Kings Death to further their cause, but I also get when he was alive they were also very jealous of him. I had always envisioned Dr. King being a professor or a writer or just being in the United Nations doing something more on a global level. I feel he would have been respected. He didn't banter waller like Jackson or Sharpton he was so much more charismatic. I guess we will never know. I genuine appreciated your thoughts though.

BlackPearl1, yep I hear ya, when I do not demonstrate a stong spririt of volunteerism, it makes me feel bad too. Luckily, with the internet and your blog,you can still spread joy as you have.

posted by joanna360 on January 14, 2007 at 9:52 PM | link to this | reply

Hi, joanna360,

When Dr. King was assassinated, my parents were still teens, and I was still several months from being born; but naturally, I have read, heard and seen much commentary on his life and his work, including how people acted, what they said and did, how others seemed to have felt, as well as Dr. King's feelings and observations about the war in Vietnam, and I'd imagine he'd have had similar feelings about the war in Iraq.

Anyway, I believe that this piece you've written is very powerful, and thoughtful. I have my own thoughts about what he and the others who supported the civil rights causes must have gone through. They are truly my heroes.

I think a lot about how he would be treated and received if he were alive today, and about how people may not appreciate the contributions and sacrifices that Dr. King and others in that turbulent era made for all of us. I think that the legacy of their efforts is/has been terribly undermined by our complacency in recent generations. I think that is a sad testament of our gratitude and awareness, to which I contribute my own share of the guilt. For instance, I should get out and vote more than I have in the past, but there's other stuff I'd like to do differently, too. Thanks for opening up this dialogue.

posted by BlackPearl1 on January 14, 2007 at 1:32 PM | link to this | reply

joanna360

My mother was eight months pregnant with me when King was assassinated in Memphis. She told me as the red-orange glow from the fires reflected on the curtains, the gunshots echoing far too close for comfort, screams, shouts, and sirens wailed, she thought she was going to have me on the spot.

If King was still alive today, chances are he wouldn't have nearly the same amount of influence. As blacks move up the economic and social ladders, they'd forget who gave them the boost and would no longer fully support him or his causes. Political movers and shakers fearing his ability to mobilize people would undercut and undermine his efforts. Using Fox News as the pulpit, they'd brand him a liberal, the worst thing a person can be in this post 9-11 era, possibly even a reverse-racist because he championed black causes too strongly. Stand-up comics would mock him. See how Jesse Jackson is often portryed for further examples. Nowadays, you don't need a bullet to silence a man. The media can assassinate while leaving him breathing.