
You do not have to go far to see the complex web between systemic racism, unconscious bias, privilege, justice, white supremacy, white nationalism, poverty and COVID-19. I’ve written on this before here – https://tinyurl.com/y4upplk7. But, I want to highlight one of the most powerful statements from Dr. King. These are excerpts from his 1967 presidential address to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference titled, “Where do we go from here?”. It’s a question many, many of us are asking after 2020, particularly those in churches that have traditionally not asked hard questions, lamented, and moved forward correctly. (Have you read “The Color of Compromise”? If not, I would highly recommend it.) Where do we go from here? Let’s listen to Dr. King today. At the end of the post, I also link to a modern-day prophet in my own community, Malcolm Foley, with some poignant reflections on today and tomorrow and the next.
โ โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ข๐. ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐.โ And so, I conclude by saying today that we have a task, and let us go out with a divine dissatisfaction. (Yes)
โ So, where do we go from here? Another great resource is a write-up from a very respected voice in my own community, Malcolm Foley. He continues to remind us to not simply lament, but to be agitators and extremists of justice. He also reminds us that some of us need to be agitated for comprehensive love and justice. For those of us who are white, we have to listen, listen, and listen some more with extreme humility, not defense stances if you hear the word “privilege” and get mad. This is more than lamenting. Let’s be agitated in the right way.
โพHe said in a recent post, “This is a moment where we need to offer the right peace rather than say, peace, peace where there is no peace. Many need to be agitated by extremists for comprehensive love and comprehensive justice. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my forefathers and mothers (and Jesus), it’s that there can be no unity without justice.”
โพLet us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. (All right)
โพLet us be dissatisfied (Yes) until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice. (Yes sir)
โพLet us be dissatisfied (Yes) until those who live on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security. โพLet us be dissatisfied (Yes) until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history (Yes), and every family will live in a decent, sanitary home.
โพLet us be dissatisfied (Yes) until the dark yesterdays of segregated schools will be transformed into bright tomorrows of quality integrated education.
โพLet us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.
โพLet us be dissatisfied (All right) until men and women, however black they may be, will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not on the basis of the color of their skin. (Yeah) Let us be dissatisfied. [applause]
โพLet us be dissatisfied (Well) until every state capitol (Yes) will be housed by a governor who will do justly, who will love mercy, and who will walk humbly with his God.
โพLet us be dissatisfied [applause] until from every city hall, justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. (Yes)
โพLet us be dissatisfied (Yes) until that day when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together (Yes), and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid.
โพLet us be dissatisfied (Yes), and men will recognize that out of one blood (Yes) God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth. (Speak sir)
Here’s his full write-up which should be a required reading: https://waynation.com/mlk-the-agitator-and-extremist-we-need-now/?fbclid=IwAR1CDN2GnUYWNOaXvrsIYC_v_220POZy7rXBcOQ_WviSa6YDZPvTCJRsoJs
“๐๐๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ. ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐, ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง. ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐. ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐. ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฏ๐๐.”
– FNE
SOURCE: Here’s the full speech. We have a tradition in our family to watch the MLK JR “I have a dream” speech. I am going to add this speech to our tradition too. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/where-do-we-go-here-address-delivered-eleventh-annual-sclc-convention
Picture: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking before crowd of 25,000 on March 25, 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama. Stephen F. SomersteinโGetty Images