March on Washington: ‘We cannot give up’
Tens of thousands gathered at the same spot Saturday in Washington to listen to leaders speak at the same spot where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his racial harmony, “I have a dream” speech’ to a divided country 50 years ago.
Several leaders praised the accomplishments from the Civil Right’s movement, but said King’s work was far from done. The only surviving speaker from the original 1963 march, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., reminded those that the fight must continue.
“We cannot give up. We cannot give out. And we cannot give in,” Lewis said, calling on Congress to put back into the law the crucial elements of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down.
“The vote is precious. It’s almost sacred,” he said.
Scenes from the March on Washington.
(All photos by Carl Woodward)
Carl Beijer is a writer who focuses on the Left, linguistics, and international affairs.
Martin Luther King, Jr. must be spinning in his grave, 50 years later his people are still in self imposed ghettos, commit the most violent crimes and refuse to integrate into the greater social culture.
Another guy praising MLK as a way of “proving” that he isn’t racist – while opposing everything that MLK actually stood for.
MLK was not in the business of blaming the victim. “Cries of Black Power and riots are not the causes of white resistance,” he wrote – “they are consequences of it.”
It would not have surprised him that blacks still face profound economic challenges: “The eradication of slums housing millions is complex far beyond integrating buses and lunch counters.”
To face these challenges, MLK aggressively advocated for the very affirmative action and welfare programs that right-wingers despise, and rejected their meritocratic complaints: “It is, however, important to understand that giving a man his due may often mean giving him special treatment. I am aware of the fact that this has been a troublesome concept for many…since it conflicts with their traditional ideal of equal opportunity and equal treatment of people according to their individual merits.”
By the time he died, MLK was openly calling for government programs well beyond the meagre Obama-era offerings that right-wingers frantically decry as “socialism”.
If the right had even an ounce of respect for MLK, they would at least give him the dignity of honest criticism and admit that he disagreed with them on this and a whole range of issues. Instead, they’ve chosen to deal him one final insult by trying to erase his memory from history and replace it with a fantasy. It’s ignorant, disgusting, and yes, extremely racist.
I’m not trying to prove anything, I try my best to avoid blacks, can’t trust them, like naughty children you just never know what they’ll do next, they’re thieves, liars, drug dealers, murderers, rapists, welfare cheats, etc., etc. I’ll give you a partial fix, kick the breeders out of public housing, take away their welfare, take away their children to stop the vicious cycle of dependence, raise the children in places that teach respect, patriotism, the work ethic, the value of education, that they don’t need the government to give them anything, that they can succeed by their own talents. Look at how well Asian and Russian immigrants have done, now there’s a lesson.
Haha, ok grandpa. Post all the resentful paranoia and bitter revenge fantasies you like, but I’ll give you the actual fix: 1) elected officials keep ignoring your dumb opinions and 2) idiotic racists like you die out and we pave over your grave to build more public housing.
“build more public housing”, they’ve been tearing down the projects across the country. The true fix would be Abraham Lincoln’s thought to send “em all back to Africa, he knew they’d be a drain on society. The Asian and Russian immigrants were, and are the most successfully integrated groups ever to come to these shores. Guess the African American community is just not smart enough to succeed.
lol I didn’t read any of that
Do you get that no one cares about your idiotic opinions about race, that they are never going to change anything, and that even your children are secretly (if not openly) ashamed of you?
Just think back to your childhood, back in the Dark Ages, when every backwoods community had a village idiot. You’re that guy who no one takes seriously, Ron. Your job is to say stupid things that everyone laughs at. Thank you for your service.
oh, you read it and you do care. The country is catching on, your un- American philosophy is on the way out. The people are getting fed up with free telephones and free handouts. Another few years of obama and the tide will have turned. By the way, “lol”, “lol”, really, what are you an imbecile?
no, it’s true, no one cares about your bigoted rambling you pathetic coward, it’s nazis like you who tried to kill my people years ago.
Abramson, you are quite dumb or just non-observant, take a look at my avatar. When our grandparents came here from the shetl they’d never even seen an African. It didn’t take long before they realized and called them what they are “vilde chayas”. Some day you will grow up.
Your ethnoreligious identity doesn’t make you any less a reactionary fool, Ron. Though it’s not surprising that a guy like you thinks such things determine character.
sorry Alison, I grew up in the “old neighborhood”, I saw a sweet, convivial place where everyone knew everyone, the neighbors liked, respected and helped each other, where the children were well cared for, taught the golden rule and educated to become professionals, turn into an urban jungle, vicious crime, lack of morals, lack of respect for people or property. That neighborhood became unlivable, the good people fled. Yes, “a guy like me” and many more.
That’s a revealing post, though not in the way you think.
Obviously everyone thinks that your opinions about the black community are way off and that a single personal story doesn’t prove anything. Even you aren’t dumb enough to think that you’re going to convince anyone that way.
So it’s clear that you didn’t post that to actually try to persuade anyone of anything. You just want to cry about your sad childhood experience to anyone who’ll listen.
Get over it.
sorry again Alison, I have no desire to “convince” anyone. My life experiences are just mine, everyone else can believe whatever they want. Inner city blacks are criminals, thugs, they ruin neighborhoods, they set up their children for failure, they are savages. That’s my opinion, I don’t care what anyone else’s is.
let’s all take really seriously this guy who’s repeatedly posting about just how much he doesn’t care!
(usually within minutes of the post he’s responding to!)
right, whatever you said?
“grow up”? RB you’re the most childish excuse for a human being I’ve come across in a long time. It’s obvious that you don’t even believe any of this racist nonsense, you’re just saying inflammatory things because you like the attention, like a little kid throwing a tantrum.
Just stop responding to him, people. No one actually has those kinds of opinions anymore, he’s probably just some teenager who likes to argue.
OK