(The Precursor to) Relentless
(My original intention was to finish this post by Wednesday or Thursday – that being said, it’s only fitting that this post should be finished 40 years to the day after Dr. King was assassinated.)
I was recently inspired by a fellow journalist’s article on James Earl Ray’s brother; that’s right, the same JER that assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Or so many think.
I’ve heard my fair share of conspiracy theories, my fair share of thoughts that JER didn’t kill Dr. King; that King’s death was an elaborate government plan.
Whatever you believe is up to you. However, Ray’s brother just came out with a book, entitled Truth At Last, a book that gives strong testimony and evidence to the fact that Ray couldn’t have worked alone, if he was King’s assassin at all.
To be honest, though, that’s not new information to a conspiracy theorist, or someone who’s kept up with recent developments concerning the assassination.
It’s just that … if we don’t know who or what killed Dr. King … I mean, if you’re keeping score at home…
We DON’T KNOW who killed Dr. King or Malcolm X. On a smaller scale, who killed 2Pac? B.I.G.? JMJ? No clue.
And it appears … who cares?
One of the problems, I find, is how we define our heroes.
King is largely defined by a single speech, the Civil Rights Movement and the March on Washington; the latter of which none of us gets right. It was the MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM, and knowing the whole title helps to bring the real reason why King was assassinated. Per usual, race is the smokescreen.
Malcolm X? Largely defined by his relationship with the Nation of Islam and a form of activity that worked under the mantra “by any means necessary.”
Pac and Big? Central figures in an ultimately foolish East Coast-West Coast disagreement that took two of the most introspective and expressive artists of our day.
Can’t co-sign on the Pac and Big discussion? Lest we should forget…
“What (music) provides is an atmosphere... of orchestrated pulse which works on people in a subliminal way. Under its influence I've seen (people) kick off their shoes and raise some wholesome hell.”
– Meyer Davis
“Whoever controls the music controls the people.”
That’s the truth concerning Pac and Big … specifically the former, who talents transcended even his music. Movies like Poetic Justice and books such as “The Rose that Grew Out of Concrete” displayed such talents, as well as an introspective mind, and scholars such as Michael Eric Dyson have been inspired to their own works because of the late Shakur.
And now, if we can look past the NOI and race relations to determine why Malcolm and Martin were assassinated…
In an interview with Gordon Parks in 1965, Malcolm revealed:
"I realized racism isn't just a black and white problem. It's brought bloodbaths to about every nation on earth at one time or another. Brother, remember the time that white college girl came into the restaurant — the one who wanted to help the [Black] Muslims and the whites get together — and I told her there wasn't a ghost of a chance and she went away crying? Well, I've lived to regret that incident. In many parts of the African continent I saw white students helping black people. Something like this kills a lot of argument. I did many things as a [Black] Muslim that I'm sorry for now. I was a zombie then — like all [Black] Muslims — I was hypnotized, pointed in a certain direction and told to march. Well, I guess a man's entitled to make a fool of himself if he's ready to pay the cost. It cost me 12 years. That was a bad scene, brother. The sickness and madness of those days — I'm glad to be free of them."
In 1965, he also stated, “My mind is wide open to anybody who will help get the ape off our backs.”
(quotes courtesy of Wikipedia)
Malcolm’s thoughts and ideals began to transcend because of his journey to Mecca, and such advancement inspired the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
(Courtesy of Wikipedia and the good folks at Columbia University) ;-)
"On June 28, 1964, Malcolm X called a press conference at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem to announce his new project which he had been helped to set up by Elijah Muhammad's two sons, the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Modeled after the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the all-African federation, the OAAU was an international secular political organization promoting the interests of black people and working to fight white oppression, Discussions with the exiled author Julian Mayfield, one of Malcolm X's hosts during his 1964 trip to Africa, convinced Malcolm X of the need for a social, political and economic organization that would link Blacks in the U.S., the Caribbean and the Americas with Africa.”
In other words, link black Americans to their history! What’s the power of that? If nothing else, it would cause a cultural uprising, which combined with the tensions of the day very well could’ve caused a social and political uprising that would’ve changed this country forever. That, of course, is just the tip of the iceberg for the OAAU’s goals.
That was June 1964. You know what happened eight months later.
“After his death, Malcolm X's half sister, Ella Collins, took over the leadership of the OAAU, but dwindling membership and Malcolm X's absence eventually led to the collapse of the organization.”
The OAAU’s execution was slightly flawed, to be sure, but the organization was about more than human rights for Blacks. It was to also focus on voter registration, school boycotts, rent strikes, housing rehabilitation, and social programs for addicts, unwed mothers, and troubled children.
Selah.
And now, the truth about Dr. King.
Folks try to limit him to the “I Have a Dream” speech and the Civil Rights Movement; try to discredit him with accusations of unfaithfulness to his wife and communism.
Not that most of you know what real communism is, but I’ll let King speak for himself, who rejected communism because of “materialistic interpretation of history" that denied religion, its "ethical relativism," and its "political totalitarianism.”
Yet King, like Malcolm, had a transcendation of thought. His came in the form of the organization of the Poor People’s Campaign.
In 1968, King and the SCLC formed the organization to demand economic justice for ALL PEOPLE, not just Blacks. The Poor People’s Campaign inspired King’s second March on Washington, where he said:
"It really doesn't matter what happens now.... some began to... talk about the threats that were out -- what would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers.... Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place, but I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And so I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." (April 3, 1968)
You know what happened the next day.
“Not long later, on May 12, 1968, the demonstrators showed up in Washington D.C. to start the Poor People’s Campaign. For the next two weeks protestors campaigned at various federal agencies pushing for the EBoR, which would benefit all poor people across the country. The campaign came to an end in mid-June; the EBoR was never passed.”
The EBoR was an economic bill of rights that asked the government for a $30 billion anti-poverty package, which would include an increase in housing for the poor and a guaranteed annual income for the poor people nationwide.
Martin and Malcolm’s civil rights movements started to transcend racism and attacked the government at its weak point – the economy. Lest we should forget:
“The love of money is the root of all evil.” – I Timothy 6:10.
This is why those of us that want real change have to look past race, but not even that anymore. We have to stop putting all of our eggs in one or two baskets – that was for all of you Obama supporters.
Not that I don’t enjoy Obama’s speeches and the optimism he’s created. It’s just … if ever he forms a concept to eliminate classism – one of the larger discriminations that plague us – he might share the same fate as Malcolm and Martin … but only because no one or no group picks up where such strong leaders left off.
So, why did I call this post (the Precursor to) Relentless?
Because I find the efforts of the system we live in relentless concerning ways of allowing us to live complacently, living with no desire for real change. We know that there are a lot of problems in this world, yet we’re fine so long as OUR immediate needs and wants are taken care of.
That’s why Martin and Malcolm became larger than life; why their lives were taken away from them. Because they cared about more than themselves, and used their gifts to achieve those means.
40 years to the day after King’s assassination, I intend to do the same through my writings, thoughts and feelings. Peace.
I was recently inspired by a fellow journalist’s article on James Earl Ray’s brother; that’s right, the same JER that assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Or so many think.
I’ve heard my fair share of conspiracy theories, my fair share of thoughts that JER didn’t kill Dr. King; that King’s death was an elaborate government plan.
Whatever you believe is up to you. However, Ray’s brother just came out with a book, entitled Truth At Last, a book that gives strong testimony and evidence to the fact that Ray couldn’t have worked alone, if he was King’s assassin at all.
To be honest, though, that’s not new information to a conspiracy theorist, or someone who’s kept up with recent developments concerning the assassination.
It’s just that … if we don’t know who or what killed Dr. King … I mean, if you’re keeping score at home…
We DON’T KNOW who killed Dr. King or Malcolm X. On a smaller scale, who killed 2Pac? B.I.G.? JMJ? No clue.
And it appears … who cares?
One of the problems, I find, is how we define our heroes.
King is largely defined by a single speech, the Civil Rights Movement and the March on Washington; the latter of which none of us gets right. It was the MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM, and knowing the whole title helps to bring the real reason why King was assassinated. Per usual, race is the smokescreen.
Malcolm X? Largely defined by his relationship with the Nation of Islam and a form of activity that worked under the mantra “by any means necessary.”
Pac and Big? Central figures in an ultimately foolish East Coast-West Coast disagreement that took two of the most introspective and expressive artists of our day.
Can’t co-sign on the Pac and Big discussion? Lest we should forget…
“What (music) provides is an atmosphere... of orchestrated pulse which works on people in a subliminal way. Under its influence I've seen (people) kick off their shoes and raise some wholesome hell.”
– Meyer Davis
“Whoever controls the music controls the people.”
That’s the truth concerning Pac and Big … specifically the former, who talents transcended even his music. Movies like Poetic Justice and books such as “The Rose that Grew Out of Concrete” displayed such talents, as well as an introspective mind, and scholars such as Michael Eric Dyson have been inspired to their own works because of the late Shakur.
And now, if we can look past the NOI and race relations to determine why Malcolm and Martin were assassinated…
In an interview with Gordon Parks in 1965, Malcolm revealed:
"I realized racism isn't just a black and white problem. It's brought bloodbaths to about every nation on earth at one time or another. Brother, remember the time that white college girl came into the restaurant — the one who wanted to help the [Black] Muslims and the whites get together — and I told her there wasn't a ghost of a chance and she went away crying? Well, I've lived to regret that incident. In many parts of the African continent I saw white students helping black people. Something like this kills a lot of argument. I did many things as a [Black] Muslim that I'm sorry for now. I was a zombie then — like all [Black] Muslims — I was hypnotized, pointed in a certain direction and told to march. Well, I guess a man's entitled to make a fool of himself if he's ready to pay the cost. It cost me 12 years. That was a bad scene, brother. The sickness and madness of those days — I'm glad to be free of them."
In 1965, he also stated, “My mind is wide open to anybody who will help get the ape off our backs.”
(quotes courtesy of Wikipedia)
Malcolm’s thoughts and ideals began to transcend because of his journey to Mecca, and such advancement inspired the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
(Courtesy of Wikipedia and the good folks at Columbia University) ;-)
"On June 28, 1964, Malcolm X called a press conference at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem to announce his new project which he had been helped to set up by Elijah Muhammad's two sons, the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Modeled after the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the all-African federation, the OAAU was an international secular political organization promoting the interests of black people and working to fight white oppression, Discussions with the exiled author Julian Mayfield, one of Malcolm X's hosts during his 1964 trip to Africa, convinced Malcolm X of the need for a social, political and economic organization that would link Blacks in the U.S., the Caribbean and the Americas with Africa.”
In other words, link black Americans to their history! What’s the power of that? If nothing else, it would cause a cultural uprising, which combined with the tensions of the day very well could’ve caused a social and political uprising that would’ve changed this country forever. That, of course, is just the tip of the iceberg for the OAAU’s goals.
That was June 1964. You know what happened eight months later.
“After his death, Malcolm X's half sister, Ella Collins, took over the leadership of the OAAU, but dwindling membership and Malcolm X's absence eventually led to the collapse of the organization.”
The OAAU’s execution was slightly flawed, to be sure, but the organization was about more than human rights for Blacks. It was to also focus on voter registration, school boycotts, rent strikes, housing rehabilitation, and social programs for addicts, unwed mothers, and troubled children.
Selah.
And now, the truth about Dr. King.
Folks try to limit him to the “I Have a Dream” speech and the Civil Rights Movement; try to discredit him with accusations of unfaithfulness to his wife and communism.
Not that most of you know what real communism is, but I’ll let King speak for himself, who rejected communism because of “materialistic interpretation of history" that denied religion, its "ethical relativism," and its "political totalitarianism.”
Yet King, like Malcolm, had a transcendation of thought. His came in the form of the organization of the Poor People’s Campaign.
In 1968, King and the SCLC formed the organization to demand economic justice for ALL PEOPLE, not just Blacks. The Poor People’s Campaign inspired King’s second March on Washington, where he said:
"It really doesn't matter what happens now.... some began to... talk about the threats that were out -- what would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers.... Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place, but I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And so I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." (April 3, 1968)
You know what happened the next day.
“Not long later, on May 12, 1968, the demonstrators showed up in Washington D.C. to start the Poor People’s Campaign. For the next two weeks protestors campaigned at various federal agencies pushing for the EBoR, which would benefit all poor people across the country. The campaign came to an end in mid-June; the EBoR was never passed.”
The EBoR was an economic bill of rights that asked the government for a $30 billion anti-poverty package, which would include an increase in housing for the poor and a guaranteed annual income for the poor people nationwide.
Martin and Malcolm’s civil rights movements started to transcend racism and attacked the government at its weak point – the economy. Lest we should forget:
“The love of money is the root of all evil.” – I Timothy 6:10.
This is why those of us that want real change have to look past race, but not even that anymore. We have to stop putting all of our eggs in one or two baskets – that was for all of you Obama supporters.
Not that I don’t enjoy Obama’s speeches and the optimism he’s created. It’s just … if ever he forms a concept to eliminate classism – one of the larger discriminations that plague us – he might share the same fate as Malcolm and Martin … but only because no one or no group picks up where such strong leaders left off.
So, why did I call this post (the Precursor to) Relentless?
Because I find the efforts of the system we live in relentless concerning ways of allowing us to live complacently, living with no desire for real change. We know that there are a lot of problems in this world, yet we’re fine so long as OUR immediate needs and wants are taken care of.
That’s why Martin and Malcolm became larger than life; why their lives were taken away from them. Because they cared about more than themselves, and used their gifts to achieve those means.
40 years to the day after King’s assassination, I intend to do the same through my writings, thoughts and feelings. Peace.
posted by The Good Doctor at 12:41 PM
3 Comments:
And there it is!
First thing I can say is you definately schooled me on some things about MLK and Malcolm X that I was not aware of. Things that I should be aware of are things that I allowed to fall to the wayside.
Like many others, I realize that there are things concerning us as a people that need to be changed. And like many more people, I have not done much to help try to further change things in a positive way. But hey! There's no day like the present! ;o)
I guess what this blog does for me is it helps me realize how much I really do care about the state of us, not only as a people but as a country. And I believe that this blog also stirs up emotions that are existent but were a little surpressed. With that said, all I need to figure out now is how to do my part? ;o)
I don't fear the people that claim to hate me. I fear the people that claim to love me. There are limits to what a person will do to me from hate. There is no limit to what atrocities can be committed upon one from an act of love.
Communism, fascism, "pure" socialism...the moment a person decides that they know how to use the fruits of my labor better than I do and that they are justified in using force to obtain the use of the fruits of my labor they become my enemy. Although I am grateful to Dr. King for what he accomplished before his death; however, I will never forget what else he was trying to accomplish.
The wiki entry on the OAAU says that it "pushed for Black control of every aspect of the Black community". I don't see how an organization that boldly and proudly pronounces that they use qualities other than merit (in this case race) to determine leadership positions can be held up as a group to be admired.
The idea that simply because we are black we share the same ideologies, political goals, worldview, or basic idea of what is just or unjust is a racist idea. How are black children raise in the shadow of the OAAU honestly suppose to make a distinction between the professional level discrimination of the OAAU in not taking money from whites or allowing white members, from their personal interactions with whites? How is an organization that views non-blacks as enemies at worst and crutches at best good for the black community? I have a hard time understanding how an organization that teaches loyalty upon racial lines instead of ideological lines is a good thing.
Post a Comment
<< Home