I suspect we will hear nothing about Dr. King’s opposition to the war in Viet Nam. We certainly will not see or hear anything about the Poor People’s Campaign he helped to lead when he was assassinated in April 1968. http://wesleyanleadership.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/mlk-the-church-and-poor-people/
Jarrod McKenna wrote today, on this MLK day 2012, about the big problem so many Americans have in co-opting MLK and making him a “cheerleader” for whatever cause they please. I have heard this over and over from those who oppose the Occupy movement on the basis of “lawlessness” and seemingly the very idea of being critical of U.S. structures. Continue Reading
<A HREF=”http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Ftheoblogical-20%2F8005%2Ff6fdcec6-01e1-491d-84fb-8edf78634575&Operation=NoScript”>Amazon.com Widgets</A> Be Schofield’s article I blogged about earlier includes this assesment of MLK’s “final campaign” (the Poor People’s March) : King had developed several goals in his final campaign, which may or may not inspire the OWS movement. He had hoped the Poor People’s Campaign would achieve direct employment through a massive public works program, a guaranteed annual Continue Reading
On Dr. King’s birthday, Jan. 15th 1968 – which was sadly to be his last – he was organizing with a multi-racial coalition of Native Americans, Chicanos, Appalachian whites and urban black people to start an encampment in Washington D.C. that would be a massive “nonviolent army†which would “cripple the operation of an oppressive society.†By 1968, King’s earlier Continue Reading
In a few weeks some of us are coming to Washington to see if the will is still alive or if it is alive in this nation. We are coming to Washington in a Poor People’s Campaign. Yes, we are going to bring the tired, the poor, the huddled masses. We are going to bring those who have known long Continue Reading
“You can’t talk about solving the economic problem of the Negro without talking about billions of dollars. You can’t talk about ending the slums without first saying profit must be taken out of slums. You’re really tampering and getting on dangerous ground because you are messing with folk then. You are messing with captains of industry.… Now this means that Continue Reading
A good one from John Nichols of The Naiton re: MLK and OWS: Asked about “Occupy Wall Street,†Congressman West declared this week: “Martin Luther King Jr. would not have backed these types of protesters.†Dr. King’s history, and his own words, say otherwise. http://www.thenation.com/blog/164080/king-versus-tea-party-poor-peoples-campaign-occupy Nichols quotes MLK: “America is at a crossroads of history, and it is critically important Continue Reading
This quotation from an article in CounterPunch brings some well considered rcommendation re: what is needed from OWS based on where “the problem” lies. Watching Bill Moyers talk to the authors of a book called “Winner Take All Politics”, the evidence is pretty overwhelming that the normal “democratic process” has been increasingly rigged over the past 30 years. Martin Luther King, Jr. Continue Reading
“we are the first Episcopal seminary to take part in the Occupy Movement http://www.ecww.org/olympia-seminarian-creates-interfaith-chaplaincy-ministry-occupy-austin Thanks for the link , Larry!
Romney’s cluelessness shows when he answers question about “could it be more than envy?” with more riff about it being “envy based” Romney’s “they’re just jealous” riff is adolescent & callous. Good impetus for increased #occupy action Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy msnbc video: Up w/ Chris Hayes. Given Romney’s answer to the Continue Reading
Nice to see the evangelical interest: What this movement is doing is immensely important – and consistent with many core Christian values – and thus, worthy of even the pastor’s investment of time. The liberal Christian community is already very involved, as are many who don’t identify themselves as religious. Many people in these groups are either waiting for Evangelicals Continue Reading