I'm still trying to wrap my head around what a former friend of Dr. King said today in San Antonio. He said that by having banquets and parades we do not honor Dr. King. Surely even though the message of equality and liberty are larger than Dr, King himself we need a figurehead in this country to keep focus right? And then a scripture came to me. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." It's true. We have made MLK an Idol. To celebrate one man for a day is a very strong thing to do. We celebrate him more than his message. Doing some research I found that Rev. King was greater than just a flag bearer of equality of race, he also faught for economic equality as well. The following paragraph is a quote from his book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
"In the treatment of poverty nationally, one fact stands out: There are twice as many white poor as Negro poor in the United States. Therefore I will not dwell on the experiences of poverty that derive from racial discrimination, but will discuss the poverty that affects white and Negro alike. " I am certain that the laws most true to the message of Rev. King are ones that provide protection to the unfortunate and mercy to the desperate, and not affirmative action laws that bind us in groups and erode our individuality before government. Let us remember that Rev. King was a preacher with a heart for the poor. Surely he read about how we will all be accountable to God at judgement and will be judged by our actions. I am also positive that Rev. King had read the Scriptures that proclaim the supremacy and necessity of Charity in a walk with God. We do not honor him by holding parades and festivels. We honor him by acting as Christians, blinded by the color of our countrymen and showing charity one toward another.
Excerpt from King's 1967 book "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?"
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/special/mlk/king/words/poverty.html
ABC article titled "Historians Fear MLK's Legacy Being Lost"
http://abcnews.go.com/US/WireStory?id=4164136&page=2
Beyond the dream.
