HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. M. L. KING : THE MAN...THE MYTH

* *This is a  re-posting  of the 1/14/12 recognition of the King Legacy. 

"The odd thing about assassins, Dr. King, is that they think they've killed you."    ~ Mohandas K Gandhi ~

January 15, 1929 ~ April 4, 1968

The above quote was from an illustration published in the Chicago Sun Times shortly after Dr. King's assassination in 1968 and it featured a drawing of Mohandas K. Gandhi extending his hand out in a conversation with the slain leader.  Before Gandhi's death he was living in a village quietly and was killed by an extremist  which catapulted him into the ages and made him an icon with a philosophy that has influenced great thinkers since his assassination in 1948.  One of those thinkers was Dr. King.


Although, this was an imagined event by the writer; how prophetic the message was for we have been celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King on a national level since 1986.  It was signed into law by President Reagan in 1983 and actually all the states came on board by the year 2000.  Local celebrations and commemorations, however, began for this courageous leader on an annual basis after his death which eventually led to the holiday .  The latter was the result of exceptional advocacy and lobbying by his wife and supporters.  We've just recently,  witnessed the dedication of the MLK monument in Washington, D.C. and of course there was controversy centered around that event.  There were words that were omitted on his memorial which infuriated a few and the feeling that given his legacy; he would not have wanted that money spent on any monument of his likeness.  He would have preferred that it be used to help the poor and marginalized groups which were his goal before he was struck down.  Many remember the poor people's march and tent city in D.C.


A memory that I have of the day Dr. King was assassinated remains as vivid in my mind as it did in 1968.  I was in college and at that time was beginning to become more revolutionary in my thinking about the civil rights movement.  Dr. King's last days were difficult and challenging for he was castigated by his comrades and followers for his stand against the war and many who marched with him were no longer willing to turn the other cheek.  My mother called and was crying and stated towards the end of the conversation that I probably didn't care about his death because I had become so "militant".  I tried to explain that I loved Dr. King but the fact that the power brokers could not accept and respect a man of peace meant possibly there were other paths worthy of consideration. 
 
 She wasn't hearing it and hung up stating that she and my father had a march to participate in the next day.  My mother and father..the most apolitical people I know were so moved to march.  Wow...the invisible and some would say sleeping masses were awakening as a result of his death.  Little did she know that I wept along with the others as we sat in the lounge viewing the news footage of Dr. King's mountaintop speech the night before his death.

It was a pivotal point in my life and although Dr. King is associated with civil rights; I truly believed (at that time) he had graduated from the domestic stage to the global theater and he recognized that the struggle was actually human rights.  Vietnam Nam and other hot spots in the world fed that realization for him and upon that epiphany; he went the way of many freedom fighters.  He was silenced for a moment.  His message, however, rings true today as it did in the 60's.                                                   
                                  
There are a number of quotes by Dr. King but the following four support my basic viewpoint about him. I humbly write this tribute to a freedom fighter who so desperately wanted peace and harmony for all of humanity. 

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."

The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be... The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists."
  

"I've come upon something that disturbs me deeply," "We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I know that we will win. But I've come to believe we're integrating into a burning house". 


Before I close this piece, it was believed by some during the late 60's that Dr. King was so enamored with integrating within the larger white society that the racial component of his self-esteem and how he viewed his ethnic group in comparison were compromised.  It was further believed that his ability to relate to the nationalistic fervor of loving who you are was of minimal concern in the scheme of things.  This video that I viewed, initially, on The African American Pundit Blog puts that myth to rest.

 

Updated Related Links:

Uplifting Dr. King's Legacy
*"King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis,"  
*Historian Taylor Branch:  The Kennedys' Aversion to MLK's Struggle 
*Civil Rights Pioneer, Gloria Richardson: The Struggle of Women in the Movement 
*MLK's 'Dream'  Struggle Continues 50 Years After the March on Washington 

AMIRI BARAKA: OCTOBER 7, 1934 ~ JANUARY 9, 2014

Prolific Poet, Author & An Early Leader Of The Black Arts Movement

"A man is either free or he is not.  There cannot be any apprenticeship for freedom"

"Thought is more important than art.  To revere art and have no understanding of the process  that forces it into existence, is finally not even to understand what art is"


An Encounter with Amiri Baraka, Circa 1967 at a Black Writers Conference @ Fisk University:

I was a student activist at TSU and attended the above conference with great anticipation.  Gwendolyn Brooks was one of the speakers and also one of my favorite authors.  Amiri Baraka was scheduled to appear and I was quite intrigued with the 'Black Arts Movement' that he spearheaded.  I sat in the audience in all my Afrocentric glory in rapt attention as Ms. Brooks discussed her journey to authorship. There was a rustle emanating from the back of the room and as folks began to turn around; there was this man of short stature  looking quite fierce and brilliant walking down mid aisle.  The rustle morph into a electrical charge of some sort and Ms. Brooks stopped in the middle of her talk to observe this phenomenon approaching her.  By the way, I must address the backdrop of this encounter.  We were in Jubilee Hall which has this huge portrait of The Fisk Jubilee Singers.  The latter is stunning and one can imagine that when the lights are out and the room is empty; they emerge from the painting.  The contrast of how far we'd come from our forebearers having to sing all over Europe to raise funds to build this hall and to keep the university solvent to an age when black intellectuals  are addressing empowerment for black people was rather mesmerizing.  It was no longer an issue of freedom but equality and the struggle continues today.


What intrigued me more than anything was observing Ms. Brooks' body language as she sat on the end of her chair and observed Amiri  Baraka and the other black intelligentsia with periodic glances at the audience as they responded to his fiery oratory.  Later, I would read in one of her autobiographical books about this encounter and how transformative it was for her.  She spoke of her transition from a "Negro' to a 'Black Woman' and her subsequent work and activism were politically and culturally progressive and remained so until her death in the year 2000.

I didn't always agree with some of Amiri Baraka's viewpoints especially as it pertained to women , however, I've been out of touch with his most recent writings.  I understand he's far more developed in ways that we attribute to the griots. No apologies for being black and fearless in how he celebrated our strengths as well as our shortcomings.  He was a necessary force and will not be forgotten by many.
  

 The lyric "Everyone I know goes away in the end" comes to mind as I mourned the recent death of a dear friend I've known since we were adolescents,  Dr. Roderick Bush, a lifetime revolutionary, professor and author  who died on December 5th., the same day that Nelson Mandela transitioned. I imagine he would have a lot of questions for Mr. Mandela and now that Amiri Baraka has joined them; it must be a full blown debate with laughter, bantering and serious discussion on their contributions and what needs to happen on this side.  They belong to the ages.  Bountiful blessings to them. 

HAVE A HEALTHY, INTRIGUING AND BOUNTIFUL NEW YEAR!

 

With all the spirited feelings that the above title evokes, I am somewhat reticent about reviewing 2013 as we welcome 2014. The former was filled with ongoing scandals, the continuation of right wing folks and the republicans losing their minds over the Affordable Care Act, the tragic and murderous acts on young African-Americans and the list goes on.  Ceaseless virulent attacks and character assassinations of the President were a daily occurrence and persist with no end in sight.  With that said, there were many appointments and some policies of his administration that left me stunned, ambivalent and disappointed.  It became quite clear that though I voted for him in 2008 with confidence-- during the 2012 election it was definitely against the Republican candidate Mitt Romney.  I choose, however, to focus  only on some of the President's contestable policies and viewpoints without the denigrating and derogatory personal attacks on him and his family.  We've observed ad nauseam, this unrelenting behavior by hard core and milquetoast racists, conservatives, media pundits, tea party folks and others.

                                                                      

I've also had a  tendency to be too 'preachy' as I recalled 2012 with suggestions and admonishments for 2013.  There is always another way to view with all the nuances of a multi-racial-ethnic-cultural nation and a diversified so-called 'black community' with warring factions, ideologies and an expanding 'underclass'.   Therefore, this message will be brief and optimistic as we welcome the new year.  I refuse to make resolutions; last year's efforts to meet my goals were diminished to a disappointing level.  The exception was my advocacy activities for those causes that are near and dear to my heart.  For many of us, dwelling on the past is overshadowed by regret and looking forward can keep you anxiety-ridden.  All we really have is the here and now. 


  In my  2012 New Year's message, I ended with a story about the wedding of a former NFL player, Chris Draft and his terminally ill wife, Lakeasha  who died a month  later.  Their story truly speaks to the power of love,  living in the present  and celebrating  the gift of life.  In retrospect, the spirit of the latter should be our approach to every new year!

Link:

Sidebar: Dear 2013...Amy  "Aimstar " Andrieux

WHY WE SHOULD CELEBRATE KWANZAA: REVISTED

 Habari Gani?   Imani {'Faith'}

This is a re-publishing of a 12/27/11 post  I wrote on Kwanzaa.   Unfortunately, the decline in the public observances continue to persist.  Bro. Hicks at the Electronic Village website published an article on "Kwanzaa: Umoja (Unity)"  which should be reviewed by all as well as the links provided below.

Photo Credit:  Jeffrey Scott Thomas

Kwanzaa public observances are waning for many reasons, e.g., confusion with Christmas celebration, disrespect and malice toward the creator of Nguzo Saba and the list goes on.