Written in April of 1963
“I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block is not the White Citizen’s Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to “order” than to justice, who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice, who constantly say “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action.” Who paternalistically believes that he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom…” Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail.
He echoes what I've often felt. Who are the greatest enemies of change? The diehard segregationists, abortionists, talking heads at least they make no secret of who they are? Or is it the nice people who just can't be bothered, don't want to rock the boat, don't have time or are afraid that they'll get into trouble too.
And another group we've seen all too many of these last election cycles. They can't get al that they want, when they want it, so they pick up their marbles, go home and forfeit the more important right we have that is guaranteed under the constitution. The right to vote. Also the responsibility to make sure the candidate are there to do the job, not running as a spoiler. Jill Stein comes to mind as an example. And if Ralph Nader had sat out the election in 2000? Old news but it does get you to thinking.
Also the churchmen who told King that he was supposed to stick with spiritual matters and not meddle in politics. But how can you separate the two? You can't. King pointed out that young white men and young black men were being sent half way around the world to fight toeither when in many parts of the country they couldn't sit down a share a meal in the local diner.
No comments:
Post a Comment