Video: MLK Memorial Emerges From Stone on National Mall

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Video: MLK Memorial Emerges From Stone on National Mall

This past weekend marked the unveiling of the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial on the National Mall. However, due to inclement weather (Hurricane Irene) the ceremony was canceled.  Many were disappointed when they heard the news. Yet it didn’t stop them from venturing out after the stormed passed.  PBS, Hari Sreenivasan had an opportunity to reflect and report.

Weekly Poll: Maya Angelou Doesn’t Like King Inscription

Weekly Poll: Maya Angelou Doesn’t Like King Inscription

By: Pam Taylor

Maybe Maya Angelou has a point that the MLK Memorial inscription above “makes Dr. Martin Luther King look like an arrogant twit." I don’t think so.  Yes, it was taken out of context and perhaps future generations will have little knowledge of the quote’s origins.

Many of us still remember that it was just a couple of months before his assassination that Dr. King delivered that oft-quoted and prophetic sermon, instructing  his eulogists by saying, “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”

Even out of context, the inscription is the truth.  It is difficult to imagine anyone, now or generations from now, reading the inscription and thinking “egotist.”

 

I agree with Jenée Desmond-Harris, who wrote in The Root, “It would be impossible for the structure to perfectly communicate the many nuances of his work and personality in a way that would ring true for all of us. The good news is that it seems to be serving its purpose as the beginning, rather than the end, of a conversation about the civil rights leader's legacy.” Maya Angelou Slams MLK Memorial Inscription

What do you think?  Does the quote on the memorial make Dr. King “look like an arrogant twit”?

Does quote on memorial make Dr. King look like an arrogant twit?
	Yes
	No

Reflections on a Dream

Reflections on a Dream

By Phyllis Wilder

This past weekend I was honored to attend the white-tie, star studded event MLK: A Monumental Life, a musical theater production chronicling the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The performance was held at Washington, D.C.’s DAR (Daughters of the Revolution) Constitution Hall. Cast members captured Dr. King’s early days at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta through the civil rights movement.

Though the event was a joyous celebration of his life, it was not long ago that the African-American contralto Marian Anderson was denied the right to sing in Constitution Hall. To be present for an occasion to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. in that very place and listen to mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves sing "Ave Maria" by Schubert—was one of many poignant moments of the presentation. 

For me, it served as a reminder of the sacrifices he and many others made for African Americans to enjoy today’s freedoms and luxuries. I am humbled and honored to have been a witness to the completion of MLK’s memorial on the National Mall during the tenure of the nation’s first African American President. The fulfillment of the dream continues.

'Freedmen' Still Fighting for their Dream

'Freedmen' Still Fighting for their Dream 

Excitement and pride have been justifiably juxtaposed with calls to action throughout the blogosphere as media anticipation for the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. monument reaches a climax.

Just three days from now, on the anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech (audio below), the National Mall’s first memorial for an African American will receive its formal dedication.

While media and bloggers are quick (and right) to draw attention to the aspects of Dr. King’s speech that still ring true –

“The Negro still is not free … the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination … the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity … the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land…”

– some Blacks find themselves fighting discrimination in a surprising and under-publicized situation.

Earlier this week the Supreme Court of the Cherokee Indian nation, the second-largest tribe in the country, upheld an earlier decision to expel its Black descendents, called Freedmen.

The link in question between African Americans and Indians goes back to the 1800s, when the US Government began to forcibly remove the tribes from their land. By that time many Indians had adopted the Europeans’ inclination for slaves, who were forced to accompany them on the “Trail of Tears.”

As the Civil War ensued, the Indian nations freed their slaves and the majority of the ‘Freedmen’ were granted citizenship within their tribes. They received full rights as citizens, including access to health care and education benefits. With the repeal of said citizenship, thousands of ‘Freedmen’ descendents will lose those benefits and find themselves once again shunned for a history of subjugation.

This time, however, it’s at the hands of another historically abused minority group. Which begs to question:

Is camaraderie and understanding between minority groups a moot expectation?

MLK "I Have a Dream"

For more information on the ongoing legal battles visit the website for the “Descendants of Freedom of the Five Civilized Tribes.”

Celebratory, Yet Appropriately Cautious.

Celebratory, Yet Appropriately Cautious.

Speaking to the American people and the world today, President Barack Obama said that Egypt "will never be the same" after the successful revolution to oust Hosni Mubarak as President.

"Egyptians have inspired us, and they've done so by putting the lie to the idea that justice is best gained by violence," he said "For Egypt, it was the moral force of nonviolence, not terrorism, not mindless killing, but nonviolence, moral force, that bent the arc of history toward justice once more."

The President went on to quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous saying, "there is something in the soul that cries out for freedom," today the Egyptian people's cries were heard, and so they celebrated. No one knows for sure what lies ahead for Egypt, things are still very uncertain, but the dominoes have now begun to fall, and we join our President in his cautious excitement.

Watch President Obama's Speech Below:

King’s Dream of ‘Equality’ Still Unrealized

King’s Dream of ‘Equality’ Still Unrealized

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in something far greater when he delivered his August 28, 1963, “I Have a Dream Speech” from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King sought equality of life for all men and women as he spoke from our nation’s capital, a place where decisions are to be followed by actions to aid the greater good. Earlier this month, we honored King’s dream through service but how have we bridged the equality gaps—particularly in education and health equity? Today’s Washington Post blog post “On This We Should Agree,” presents glaring statistics on critical education and health gaps among African Americans, American Indians, Latinos and the poor. This serves to remind us what happens when dreams attainable become dreams forgotten. Someone once said, “It’s not how you start but how you finish.” But, how can we finish if we haven’t even started? What do you think?

Highlighted Clip for Friday, January 28, 2011:

"On This We Should All Agree"

By: Sean SladeThere isn’t likely to be peace in the education world over charter schools and standardized testing, but on this we can and should agree: The need to focus attention on disparities among our youth in education and in health.