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[Elegant Weapon]

Many of us know MLK's legacy has been whitewashed since he was assassinated. We know that the majority of white americans did not like him when he was living and modern white america usually only brings him and that one speech up to shame modern black people and movements like Black Lives Matter

But how familiar are you to his other speeches? I'm a little ashamed to say that I'm not that familiar with them.

One of my Facebook friends, white guy from college that I first talked to because he was wearing a Dead Prez shirt, made a real good Facebook post about King's legacy being white washed and people embracing that.

Man. If a black person said today the shit King was saying back in the day, they would crucified.

“The white man does not abide by the law… His police forces are the ultimate mockery of law.”

“The thing wrong with America is white racism.”

“White America has allowed itself to be indifferent to race prejudice.”

“I am sorry to have to say that the vast majority of white Americans are racists, either consciously or unconsciously.”

All of these quotes were in 1968, the year King was assassinated. This shit would be radical to say in 2017 for a black person with a platform. Unfortunately, all these things are still true.

But don't take my word for it. Here are some helpful links to read about what MLK was really saying

http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_beyond_vietnam/

https://www.counterpunch.org/2014/01/17/remembering-the-officially-deleted-dr-king/

There's really something to be said about the power of mass media and the victors writing the history books because when we mostly hear about King, it's very sanitized shit about kids holding hands. It's not the radical shit he was saying about our entire system needing to changed because it only serves the higher classes.

I'm convinced that if MLK wasn't killed, he would be as highly regarded by white American as much as Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton.

To the people who bring up MLK to silence liberals into non-combativeness with white supremacists, is "I Have A Dream" and peaceful protests all you think MLK ever said or did?

To moderates, how would you feel about the bolded quotes? Are they any different from the model who was dropped from LO'real?

How comfortable are you with the fact that if Martin Luther King was alive today or another leader did things exactly like him that that person would not be loved or embraced by most white Americans?

 

[HollowCentral]

He came along at the perfect time. Any sooner and his complaints would've been met with mockery and probably a lynching. If he came around any later, white people would say that things had already been fixed, and African Americans might be too worried of losing their victories to embrace him.

It's a little sad thinking that he might not be accepted now, yes, but I'm just glad he existed at all.

Edit: speaking on this as a white man, so I can't say if all of that would be true or not. Just some thoughts I had about it. Feel free to tell me from other perspectives if I'm wrong.

 

[CornBurrito]

MLK has been whitewashed, and the version most people know is not the actual MLK but a distortion that ignores the inconvenient truths he laid bare.

The same people against BLM today would have been against MLK.

 

[What did he mean by this?]

The one where he said "Cant we all just get along?"
I think I seriously saw someone say this once.

MLK wasnt too different from Malcollm yet I distinctly remember being taught in school that Red was the radical one.

 

[CornBurrito]

 

[j_k_redtail]

Letter from a Birmingham Jail - not a speech, but always worth a read.

 

[cooljeanius]

"I've Been To The Mountaintop" is like the 1 other speech of his I know by title. And it's not a speech, but I also recognize the Letter from the Birmingham Jail

 

[Heroman]

Considering how civil rights Movement is taught in America I doubt most people know any of them.

 

[Malyse]

MLK has been whitewashed, and the version most people know is not the actual MLK but a distortion that ignores the inconvenient truths he laid bare.

The same people against BLM today would have been against MLK.

"What about the violence by blacks in these cities?

What is this Black Power business? If it is a threat to Whites— why should Whites not retaliate? Why should Whites hire Blacks?

"Hang your head in shame.

You are responsible for all of these riots and havoc in this country today."

"The hatred between the race is now at an all time peak and will get worse as the niggers continue to beat, rape and murder white women and girls.

A former friend of the negro, now a nigger hater"

"You don't point out any FAULTS at all of your own people, just the whites."

"How can you be a minster and have such hatred in your heart for the 'white'-race and the Nation in general?

Do return that 'Nobel-peace-prize' that we bestowed upon you, (as a great honor) so we can give it to some one who really deserves it."

"Your own people..one day soon, I hope, will find out what you really are.

"It certainly must take unmititgated gall to ask the public, particularly "WHITEY" for funds to keep you and your ilk rolling along in the manner to which you have become to visibly accustomed.

"Your false image is beginning to catch up with your as well as others.

I believe and contribute to any cause for advancing human dignity.

With the best of bad luck to you, I am,

Whitey"

"It would be well if every American Negro compared his position and opportunity with that of his race in other countries. He would find that in none does the Negro have the advantages the United States gives him. As justified as may be many of the demands Negroes make, they are not the only matter of importance in the world."

 

[Calion]

Of all the things MLK got (assassinated, hate mail, death threats, jail time, etc), He never did get the "But what would MLK have done???".

Great thread.

 

[Inuhanyou]

I am familiar with his anti war Vietnam speeches and his pro economic speeches as well, something a lot of people conveniently forget about. including where he even was and what he was doing when he got shot.

his message was not advocating for violence though, so don't bother using that as a slogan to support anarchist activities, he just pointed out what was true at the time and in many ways is still true in terms of social and economic justice that either neoliberals or insecure whites dismiss with the same arguments posted above. "Moderation and centrism" is a lie cooked up by the powerful.

 

[OG Shaka Zulu]

One of my favorites is MLK addressing the American Psychological Association:

http://www.apa.org/monitor/features/king-challenge.aspx

It is incontestable and deplorable that Negroes have committed crimes; but they are derivative crimes. They are born of the greater crimes of the white society. When we ask Negroes to abide by the law, let us also demand that the white man abide by law in the ghettos. Day-in and day-out he violates welfare laws to deprive the poor of their meager allotments; he flagrantly violates building codes and regulations; his police make a mockery of law; and he violates laws on equal employment and education and the provisions for civic services. The slums are the handiwork of a vicious system of the white society; Negroes live in them but do not make them any more than a prisoner makes a prison. Let us say boldly that if the violations of law by the white man in the slums over the years were calculated and compared with the law-breaking of a few days of riots, the hardened criminal would be the white man.

 

[TheUzukiLives]

Sadly the only ones I know off the top of my head is "I've Been To The Mountaintop" and the letter from Birmingham jail. American schools and media did a poor job explaining the man's whole legacy. I had to do my own research when it came to learning about something about him that wasn't sucking up to moderates.

 

[L Thammy]

I only know the speech where he says that nobody should do anything about racism except non-specifically say it's bad and quietly hope that it gets better.

 

[Elegant Weapon]

MLK on reparations - "We coming to Washington to get our check"

https://youtu.be/_NNvzVCVhIM

 

[Vicetrailia]

This is the perfect topic for moderates because they say the same things (toned down) should they read it.

 

[Angelus Errare]

Good thread, I'm familiar with many of these because my mother forced me to read about MLK from black scholar sources as a child. In retrospect I deeply appreciate her for it.

This is the perfect topic for moderates because they say the same things (toned down) should they read it.

They won't.

I am familiar with his anti war Vietnam speeches and his pro economic speeches as well, something a lot of people conveniently forget about. including where he even was and what he was doing when he got shot.

his message was not advocating for violence though, so don't bother using that as a slogan to support anarchist activities, he just pointed out what was true at the time and in many ways is still true in terms of social and economic justice that either neoliberals or insecure whites dismiss with the same arguments posted above. "Moderation and centrism" is a lie cooked up by the powerful.

I find it troubling that OP likened MLK to BLM, and your first reaction is to say don't liken MLK to anarchist activities.

 

[Verelios]

I read his (famous) letter from Birmingham during HS and was shocked at how eloquently he burned those 'preachers' souls, and then incredibly delighted because America tries to shoehorn his I have a dream speech into being the prototypical black moderate stance when they know they're full of shit.

Fuck those 'stop making waves' assholes, how worse off would we have been if MLK listened to them? Both sides my ass.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

do I know any other MLK speeches?

*chuckles blackly*

this is why we smirk when we see R's bring up Brother King. It's like activating our trap card.

 

[Oblivion]

Wait, MLK said other things besides that whole "racism is over" stuff? :O

 

[Inuhanyou]

I find it troubling that OP likened MLK to BLM, and your first reaction is to say don't liken MLK to anarchist activities.

i'm just saying don't liken MLK to someone who advocated hurting people(not saying all anarchists love hurting people either). he wanted the system to change through action and believed in causing a scene to do it. But he wasn't malcom X, as much as they agreed on certain things. That never would have taken his message as far as it went, as sanitized as they have made it in various ways.

since you brought up BLM as well, i'm not saying BLM at large(if anyone does) hurts people or that their activities are wrong. Obviously it is the opposite.

 

[CrocMother]

Thanks for sharing.

Most people only think of MLK these days when they get a day off work.

 

[Lombax]

Great thread. Thank you.

 

[Supast4r]

I've been to the mountaintop is my favorite speech. It's a shame that the US government killed him.

 

[Borgnine]

I love reading his stuff because I always read it in his voice. Like you could post a corndog recipe but if you told me he said it I'll start crying.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I love reading his stuff because I always read it in his voice. Like you could post a corndog recipe but if you told me he said it I'll start crying.

Many of his speeches have audio recordings of the full speech. At least a couple dozen. I assume they can be found on YouTube at this point and I do recommend anyone interest checking them out. Everything he had to say was hot fire.

 

[BigDes]

I only know enough of his speeches to browbeat minorities and leftists with.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

His anti-Vietnam speeches were good reads too:

We are taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them 8,000 miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in Southwest Georgia and East Harlem. So we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools.

April 4th 1967

White Americans must recognize that justice for black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society. The comfortable, entrenched, the privileged cannot continue to tremble at the prospect of change of the status quo.

Where Do We go From Here, 1967

 

[Elegant Weapon]

One of my favorite recordings is hearing Martin say "black is beautiful"

Someone of note says something like that today and you'd have people saying "actually all colors are beautiful, that's racist and only divides us"

His voice and speeches were incredibly powerful

 

[Balphon]

I always liked How Long, Not Long from the end of the Selma marches.

If it may be said of the slavery era that the white man took the world and gave the Negro Jesus, then it may be said of the Reconstruction era that the southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man Jim Crow. He gave him Jim Crow. And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man. And he ate Jim Crow. And when his undernourished children cried out for the necessities that his low wages could not provide, he showed them the Jim Crow signs on the buses and in the stores, on the streets and in the public buildings. And his children, too, learned to feed upon Jim Crow, their last outpost of psychological oblivion.

I know you are asking today, "How long will it take?" Somebody’s asking, "How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?" Somebody’s asking, "When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men?" Somebody’s asking, "When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal bosom of this lonely night, plucked from weary souls with chains of fear and the manacles of death? How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it?"

I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because "truth crushed to earth will rise again."

How long? Not long, because "no lie can live forever."

How long? Not long, because "you shall reap what you sow."

How long? Not long:

Truth forever on the scaffold,
Wrong forever on the throne,
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow,
Keeping watch above his own.

https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/our-god-marching

 

[Gordon Shumway]

MLK..BLM terrorist..

 

[Foffy]

I have been deeply moved by King's remarks on poverty and precarity, as that's a topic I care about for all people. From talking to a white cop while King was jailed to his remarks about it in Chapter 5 in Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community, I've felt that the issue of precarity is a deeply overlooked problem, especially for minorities and people left at the ends in our society.

But in regards to speeches that I like, I figure I'd share this, as it relates to the above issue. No idea if this was ever given a title or part of a bigger speech.