Monday, January 17, 2011

"A time comes when silence is a betrayal."

Dr. Martin Luther King at Riverside Church (click title to entry - thank you)
New York City, April 4, 1967 
I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice. I join with you in this meeting because I am in deepest agreement with the aims and work of the organization which has brought us together: Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam. The recent statement of your executive committee are the sentiments of my own heart and I found myself in full accord when I read its opening lines: "A time comes when silence is betrayal." That time has come for us in relation to Vietnam....

There are greater orators in our country and Dr. King was one of them.  The President is one as well.  They both embrace the opportunity that freedom allow the citizens in the USA to preach, invoke the name of God and bring comfort.

Do I dare say it, but, the style of Dr. King and President Obama is similar.  We witnessed President Obama at this best recently in Tucson, Arizona at the memorial service. 

Dr. King was a man dedicated to having the message of freedom heard.  He spoke of topics few others did in the context of peace.  He was unafraid of the power connected with his voice and his words.  President Obama carries the same brevity of his words when he speaks. 

The message of Dr. King will never be gone.  He has inspired many, reaching all the way to the highest office in the land, to carry the his message promise of freedom, security and humanity forever to insure people are endeared for the promises it lends.

A day of rest, today.  In commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Freedoms promise is intangible and the only way to keep it alive is through the imparting of its value through words.  I am grateful for the great orators in our country and for the African American community that gave at least two of them.



Civil Rights Movement Still Moving  (click here)

POSTED: 6:22 pm CST January 17, 2011
Many folks here in the Ark-La-Tex celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his ties here in Shreveport. One local preacher heard King's speech and was moved by the call to action.

Today at St. Luke's CME Church they were celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One member sat and listen attentively, just as he sat in1963. Rev. W.D. Starks heard Dr. King speak at Little Union Baptist Church. "The day that he spoke here it was a, seems like it was a preparation date that we all will never, never forget", says Starks.

It moved Rev. Starks so, that he became the first black president of an integrated union in Shreveport. Rev. Starks served as union president for roofing workers for twelve years.

And Rev. Starks was there last Friday to witness Shreveport workers becoming unionized. "It was a great feeling when they became unionized and the city will recognize them as a bargaining unit", says Starks.

A victory in the struggle for civil rights that began decades ago..