In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement. The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity; its operational techniques from Gandhi. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience. and inspiring his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, a manifesto of the Negro revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, “l Have a Dream”, he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure. source.
I think MLK was a great man, with great vision. We are all better today because of his work. However, MLK’s message and efforts are lost with men like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Malcom X, Farrakhan.
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Related Reading:
From The Color of Our Skin to the Color of a Bandanna: Our Parents Fought for The Civil Rights of Colored People - But Now We're Fighting Over the Color of a Handkerchief.From The Color of Our Skin to the Color of a Bandanna illustrates how African Americans came together to fight for the civil rights of colored people during the time of racial injustice. The author also examines how modern-day African American men are currently battling one another over the color of a handkerchief. The author further reveals that these young men are not making the most out of all of the freedoms and opportunities that they have today, of which their parents didn’t have during those days of inequality.
Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of ObamaRace is, and always has been, an explosive issue in the United States. In this timely new book, Tim Wise explores how Barack Obama’s emergence as a political force is taking the race debate to new levels. According to Wise, for many white people, Obama’s rise signifies the end of racism as a pervasive social force; they point to Obama not only as a validation of the American ideology that anyone can make it if they work hard, but also as an example of how institutional barriers against people of color have all but vanished. But is this true? And does a reinforced white belief in color-blind meritocracy potentially make it harder to address ongoing institutional racism? After all, in housing, employment, the justice system, and education, the evidence is clear: white privilege and discrimination against people of color are still operative and actively thwarting opportunities, despite the success of individuals like Obama.
Is black success making it harder for whites to see the problem of racism, thereby further straining race relations, or will it challenge anti-black stereotypes to such an extent that racism will diminish and race relations improve? Will blacks in power continue to be seen as an “exception” in white eyes? Is Obama “acceptable” because he seems “different from most blacks,” who are still viewed too often as the dangerous and inferior “other”?
Tim Wise is among the most prominent antiracist writers and activists in the US and has appeared on ABC's 20/20 and MSNBC Live. His previous books include Speaking Treason Fluently and White Like Me.
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Picture Book Biography)A brief, illustrated, biography of the Baptist minister and civil rights leader whose philosophy and practice of nonviolent civil disobedience helped American blacks win many battles for equal rights.
Mr. President....Black America Is On Line 2: The Rising Tide of Concerns from Black People and their Future In AmericaThere is a growing concern among African Americans on the validity of President Obama desire to help them. The political climate has painted a grey sky over President Barack Obama presidency, because the fight over the deficit and sacrificing social programs has made him look unpresidential. Being President of the United States is a difficult job, and it appears the President is catering to the republicans however, nothing can be further from the truth.Black Americans proudly stands behind their President, and the Presidents biggest critics Tavis Smiley, Rush Limbaugh and conservative news channels, like FOX NEWS, should redirect their concerns to the betterment of uniting America. Their critique of the President is unfair, and I do not understand Tavis Smiley rift, because states across America are being hit the hardest with economic woes, and blaming the President at this time is unwise. The President is always in a dogfight with the Republicans and the fundamentally insane TEA PARTY advocates, they do not want him to have a second term as President, and America would be doomed if they win.
Mr. President, Black America is calling, and they are reporting for duty to help you win the Presidency again!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The name Raymond Sturgis is not new to the literary world. His long list of successful books are gladly received by people all over the world. His books are: THE WORLD CHANGERS, WHEN A BLACK WOMAN PRAYS, BARACK OBAMA:HIS LOVE and DREAM FOR AMERICA, CHANGING THE BLACK WOMAN IN THE MIRROR, WHEN GOD MADE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SMILE....and many many more.
