Exact spot – a place to dream

August 28, 2013

Pic Tweet from the National Park Service: Beautiful photo of the exact spot Dr. King delivered his

Pic Tweet from the National Park Service: Beautiful photo of the exact spot Dr. King delivered his “I Have a Dream speech” 50 years ago today. #MLKdream50 pic.twitter.com/MHwWsY7Hwp

Nice photo from the Lincoln Memorial looking toward the Washington Monument across the length of the Reflecting Pool.

This photo was taken at least several months ago, before the scaffolding went up on the Washington Monument for repairs for damage from the 2011 earthquake.  It’s a winter or fall picture, I’m guessing from the bare trees, and taken early in the morning, as the sun rises in the east over the Capitol and Washington Monument.  That is one of the best times to be at the Lincoln Memorial, in my experience.  The man in the photo has the historic spot very much to himself at that time.

Engraving on the stone says:

I HAVE A DREAM
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM
AUGUST 28, 1963

More:

1 Comment | Famous quotes, History, Landmarks, Martin Luther King | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

President Lincoln and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the Oval Office

August 28, 2013

I remember, just a year ago, when the GOP candidate for president promised to make this photo impossible, replacing King with an Englishman.

150 years later, 50 years later, change gotta come, still.

A better version of the photo:

Painting of Abraham Lincoln, bust of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., together in the Oval Office, White House. (Pete Souza photo?)

Painting of Abraham Lincoln, bust of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., together in the Oval Office, White House. (Pete Souza photo?) Photo published on August 28, 2013, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Oval office, Martin Luther King, March on Washington, Abraham Lincoln

More:

Leave a Comment » | Abraham Lincoln, Civil Rights, History, Martin Luther King, Presidents | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Vivid imagination at the Anti-Defamation League

March 21, 2013

Students of history will notice inaccuracies in this video right away.

They are dreams, an imagining of the great “if only.”

Santayana’s Ghost looks on, hoping we’ll get the message, remember history, and act accordingly.

“Imagine a World Without Hate,” from the ADL.

Join ADL in our Centennial Year as we Imagine a World Without Hate™, one where the hate crimes against Martin Luther King, Anne Frank, Matthew Shepard and others did not take place. Support us in the fight against bigotry and extremism by sharing this inspirational video and taking the pledge to create a world without hate at http://www.adl.org/imagine.

Imagine a World Without Hate™. We Do. Join Us.

Tip of the old scrub brush to Pat Carrithers and Upworthy.  Pat writes in to remind us of the great John Greenleaf Whittier poem, “Maud Muller”:

“For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: “It might have been!”

More:

English: Photo of American poet John Greenleaf...

American poet John Greenleaf Whittier’s study at his home in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Scanned from The Works of John Greenleaf Whittier: illustrated with steel portraits and photogravures by John Greenleaf Whittier, edited by Elizabeth Hussey Whittier. Published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1892. Item notes: v. 7 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2 Comments | History, Martin Luther King, Nonviolent protest, Politics, Santayana's ghost | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Writing down the history: NAACP wants your story about Dr. King

January 20, 2013

I get earnest, interesting e-mail, too.  Ben Jealous from the NAACP wrote today:

NAACP

Ed,

Tomorrow, we pay homage to one of America’s most righteous defenders and promoters of civil and human rights: the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King was an incredible man who changed the course of American history. He inspired millions to stand up in peaceful protest against discriminatory laws and fought for the greater good of all humanity.

Dr. King’s spirit lives on. After his assassination, millions of people picked up the torch and continued to fight for a better future, carrying our shared movement for social justice into the present day.

To celebrate his life and legacy, we’d like to hear from you. Tell us how Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. impacted your life and your work.

Did you take part in marches, rallies, and activist work in the 1950s and 1960s? Tell us about it. Have you heard stories about friends or family members who marched with or met Dr. King? We want to hear them.

And if, like me, you weren’t yet born in the 1960s, we want to hear from you, too. Tell us how Dr. King’s work and message has inspired you to fight for civil and human rights today.

Together, we can build a portrait of the impact Dr. King has had on NAACP supporters and America at large. I hope you’ll help us by sharing your story today:

http://action.naacp.org/Impact-of-MLK

Thank you,

Benjamin Todd Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

Crowd-sourcing history.  Great idea.  I hope they get a great product.  Why don’t you contribute?

More:  

English: Photograph of Rosa Parks with Dr. Mar...

Rosa Parks with Dr. Martin Luther King jr. (ca. 1955) Mrs. Rosa Parks altered the negro progress in Montgomery, Alabama, 1955, by the bus boycott she unwillingly began. Photo from the U.S. National Archives record ID: 306-PSD-65-1882 (Box 93). Source: Ebony Magazine, via Wikipedia

1 Comment | Capturing history, Civil Rights, History, Human Rights, Martin Luther King | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

GOP fraud on voter ID

August 16, 2012

Maverick philosopher, who probably wisely does not entertain comments at his blog, posted this today:

If the Dead and the Undocumented Voted Conservative . . .

. . . liberals would be screaming for voter ID.

Implication — is the guy chicken to support the charge directly? — is that dead people and undocumented non-citizens vote for liberals in elections, and, therefore, liberals are complicit in voter fraud.  It’s a crude smear.

Seriously?  If the dead and undocumented voted much at all I’d be screaming for better procedures at the polls, and so would most liberals.  It was liberals, including “Republican” Martin Luther King, Jr., and Medgar Evers, and John Lewis and others who fought to eradicate practices that unfairly skewed voting in the southern U.S.  It was liberals who fought for the Voting Rights Act, which makes shenanigans like voter fraud federal crimes.

Voter ID laws do not attempt to mend any great unfairness in voting.   Voter ID laws have been litigated in Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas and Pennsylvania that I know.  In no case in any of those states has anyone presented any evidence that there is any serious problem with votes from the dead, nor any serious problem from undocumented people voting, if any problem at all.

The dead and the undocumented rarely, if ever, vote, anywhere in America.  They don’t vote liberal, they don’t vote conservative, they don’t vote in significant numbers — rarely do they vote at all.

So why are the conservatives screaming for voter ID, since neither the dead nor undocumented vote liberal? 

What could cause such hallucinations?  Bigotry?  Racism?  Who knows?  We can be certain, however, that conservative love of voter ID laws is not driven by voting by dead people, or undocumented aliens, and the conservative desire to make things fair.

A very wet tip of the old scrub brush to Pseudo Polymath, for pointing out this lunatic post.

Much more information:

14 Comments | Civil Rights, History, Martin Luther King, Political Smear, Politics, Voting, Voting Rights Act | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Fly your flag today, in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 16, 2012

You already have it up and waving, right?  Did I really need to remind you?

Google logo for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2012

Google logo for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2012 - click for more information

Fly your flag today, in honor of our nation, and in honor of our nation’s honoring the memory and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

U.S. law encourages Americans to fly the U.S. flag on holidays and a few other occasions. Congress set aside the third Monday in January as a holiday to commemorate the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To honor Dr. King, for several years civil rights leaders and others have urged us to find some way to serve our communities on this day — Americans have done it long enough to make it a tradition. Here’s the official find-a-way-to-serve page from the the federal government; look out your window, go spend a few minutes at your city hall, post office, or at the biggest church in town, or walk into any middle school in America, and opportunities to serve will caress you at every turn.

More, much more:

King, by photographer Ben Fernandez's "Countdown to Eternity"

King, by photographer Ben Fernandez's portfolio of photos from one year in the life of Dr. King, "Countdown to Eternity"

MLK logo from Google mlk2010

Google's logo for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 2010 - click for more information

7 Comments | Citizenship, Civil Rights, Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, Heroes, History, Martin Luther King, Nonviolent protest, Patriotism, Politics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

December 1: Remembering when Rosa Parks stood up for freedom, by sitting down

December 1, 2010

Rosa Parks being fingerprinted, Library of Congress

Mrs. Parks being fingerprinted in Montgomery, Alabama; photo from New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection, Library of Congress

Rosa Parks: “Why do you push us around?”

Officer: “I don’t know but the law is the law and you’re under arrest.”

From Rosa Parks with Gregory J. Reed, Quiet Strength
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1994), page 23.

Photo: Mrs. Parks being fingerprinted in Montgomery, Alabama; photo from New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection, Library of Congress

Today in History at the Library of Congress provides the simple facts:

On the evening of December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, an African American, was arrested for disobeying an Alabama law requiring black passengers to relinquish seats to white passengers when the bus was full. Blacks were also required to sit at the back of the bus. Her arrest sparked a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system and led to a 1956 Supreme Court decision banning segregation on public transportation.

Rosa Parks made a nearly perfect subject for a protest on racism. College-educated, trained in peaceful protest at the famous Highlander Folk School, Parks was known as a peaceful and respected person. The sight of such a proper woman being arrested and jailed would provide a schocking image to most Americans. Americans jolted awake.

Often lost in the retelling of the story are the threads that tie together the events of the civil rights movement through the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. As noted, Parks was a trained civil rights activist. Such training in peaceful and nonviolent protest provided a moral power to the movement probably unattainable any other way. Parks’ arrest was not planned, however. Parks wrote that as she sat on the bus, she was thinking of the tragedy of Emmet Till, the young African American man from Chicago, brutally murdered in Mississippi early in 1955. She was thinking that someone had to take a stand for civil rights, at about the time the bus driver told her to move to allow a white man to take her seat. To take a stand, she kept her seat. [More below the fold] Read the rest of this entry »

6 Comments | Civil Rights, Famous quotes, History, Human Rights, Lessons of history, Martin Luther King, Quotes | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Compare and Contrast assignment: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Glenn Beck

August 29, 2010

From The Other 98%:

MLK's and Glenn Beck's achievements compared - from The Other 98%

Which one would you choose to follow? Which one would you choose to emulate?

Teachers, don’t you wish a student would turn in something like this from time to time?

Tip of the old scrub brush to Earthaid3.

6 Comments | Advanced Placement, Civil Rights, Education, History, Martin Luther King, Politics, Student projects, Teaching | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Utah legislator proposes insult to Martin Luther King, Jr.: Share the holiday with gun inventor and manufacturer

February 18, 2010

First:  No, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was not assassinated with a shot from a Browning rifle.  The gun alleged to have been used by the man convicted of the shooting, James Earl Ray, was a Remington Gamemaster 760.

It was found in a Browning box, however.

One of my Utah sources alerted me to this story, and I’ll let the conservative Deseret News give the facts:

Utah Legislature: Utah to get gun holiday on MLK day?

Holding both holidays on the same day was proposed as a money-saving measure, Niederhauser said. Madsen was not immediately available for comment.

By Lisa Riley Roche

Deseret News

Published: Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010 8:46 p.m. MST
SALT LAKE CITY — The birthday of famed Ogden gunmaker John Browning would be celebrated as a state holiday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day under a new bill.

SB247, sponsored by Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain, has yet to be drafted but is titled “John M. Browning State Holiday.”

According to Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, the holiday would be observed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the third Monday of every January.

King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, and assassinated in 1968. Browning’s birthday is believed to be around Jan. 21, and he died at age 71 in 1926. Jenkins acknowledged there is concern about celebrating both men on the same day.

Utah lawmakers had been criticized for beginning their annual legislative session on the same day as the King holiday until the state constitution was changed in 2008 to move the start date to the fourth Monday in January.

Then there is the question of whether a man who held 128 gun patents should share a holiday with a reverend who, before he was shot and killed, used non-violence to promote civil rights.

But Jenkins said, “Guns keep peace.”

Jeanetta Williams, president of the NAACP’s Salt Lake branch, said she was “furious” about the possibility.

“It is not acceptable for the name John M. Browning to jointly share the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday,” she said. “Dr. King was assassinated by a man using a gun. John M. Browning was a gun manufacturer. … To me, it’s a very mean-spirited act. I’m not sure what is behind doing all of this.”

The NAACP has been involved with a number of legislative battles, particularly over the holiday’s name and a recent fight to have the Legislature delay its start so as not to overlap with the holiday.

“I am extremely adamant about not making any changes to this holiday,” Williams said. “We have fought too hard for this.”

Senate Minority Leader Pat Jones, D-Holladay, also questioned the idea.

“There’s probably many famous Utahns who might deserve their own day,” she said. “Let’s keep the day for someone who spent his life working in a peaceful manner for the goodwill of all Americans and not dilute the memory of his efforts.”

Senate Majority Whip Wayne Niederhauser said Madsen is open to moving the Browning holiday to a different day. “His main purpose is to honor John Browning,” Niederhauser said. “He’s a pioneer here in Utah.”  (Contributing: Aaron Falk)

Utah’s legislature can be pretty insulting in its intended actions.  I interned there in two different sessions.  Many of us recall that this legislature once proposed to rename the College of Southern Utah to avoid confusion about its acronym with a couple of other schools (Colorado State and Colorado Southern, among others).  The original bill would have renamed it “Southern Utah College.”

Alert interns picked up on the acronym problem right away, and the school was instead renamed Southern Utah State College (then University, now Southern Utah University).

Maybe we can find those interns, and alert the current legislature that they should not even consider this patently, blatantly offensive idea.

Resources:

6 Comments | Assassination, History, Legislation, Martin Luther King, Utah | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Fly your U.S. flag today, in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 18, 2010

King Center poster for MLK Day 2010

King Center poster for MLK Day 2010

Fly your flag today.

U.S. law encourages Americans to fly the U.S. flag on holidays and a few other occasions.  Congress set aside the third Monday in January as a holiday to commemorate the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To honor Dr. King, for several years civil rights leaders and others have urged us to find some way to serve our communities on this day — Americans have done it long enough to make it a tradition.  Here’s the official find-a-way-to-serve page from the the federal government; look out your window, go spend a few minutes at your city hall, post office, or at the biggest church in town, or walk into any middle school in America, and opportunities to serve will caress you at every turn.

More, much more:

King, by photographer Ben Fernandez's "Countdown to Eternity"

King, by photographer Ben Fernandez's portfolio of photos from one year in the life of Dr. King, "Countdown to Eternity"

MLK logo from Google mlk2010

Google's logo for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 2010 - click for more information

Share a dream:

Add to FacebookAdd to NewsvineAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Furl

6 Comments | Citizenship, Civil Rights, Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, History, Holidays, Human Rights, Martin Luther King | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Salute Martin Luther King, Jr.: Volunteer

January 15, 2010

Obama’s old campaign organization urges people to get out to do service to their communities this weekend, to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  An e-mail from the campaign urges:

Ed —

Throughout the country, Organizing for America volunteers and staff are planning service events for this Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.

It’s a great chance to come together, spend time with friends and neighbors, and help create a more just and equal world as we honor Dr. King this weekend. I hope you can come out and take part in an event near you.

Sign up to participate in a Martin Luther King Jr. service event in your area. No experience is necessary and it’s a great way to give back.

Martin Luther King Jr. gave so much of his talent and energy to his family and community, his neighbors and friends. I hope you will continue in that grand tradition as we honor him this weekend.

Like so many of you did last year, OFA supporters are joining together in communities all across America — in food banks and shelters, in health clinics and nursing homes.

They’re coming together to remember the great legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and to give back to their communities. There are so many different and fun ways to participate in this weekend of service, I hope you find one that means something special to you.

Please sign up to participate in a service event near you:

http://my.barackobama.com/MLKService

Thank you for your service,

Jeremy

Jeremy Bird
Deputy Director
Organizing for America

I’ve got school projects and Scout projects already lined up; Monday, I may need something more to do, and something more service oriented.

What sort of service are you planning to celebrate the heritage and history of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

2 Comments | Citizenship, Civil Rights, Holidays, Martin Luther King | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

#1 hoax site on the web

July 5, 2009

This may be the #1 hoax site on the web:  Martinlutherking.org. Certainly it is a site dangerous for children, because it cleverly purports to be an accurate history site, while selling voodoo history and racism.

A racist group bought the domain name (note the “.org” suffix), and they’ve managed to keep it.  The site features a drawing of Martin Luther King, Jr., on the first page.  The racist elements are subtle enough that unwary students and teachers may not recognize it for the hoax site it is.

It is both racist and hoax:  Note the link to a racist argument on “Why the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday should be repealed;”  note the link to a hoax page, “Black invention myths.”

Students, nothing on that site should be trusted. Teachers, warn students away from the site.  You may want to use that site as a model of what a bad site looks like, and the importance of weighing the credibility of any site found on the web.

Why do I even mention the racist, hoax site? Because it comes upi #3 on Google searches for “Martin Luther King.”  Clearly a lot of people are being hoodwinked into going to that site.  I’ve seen papers by high school students citing the site, with teachers unaware of the site’s ignoble provenance.

Update: The site is owned by Stormfront, a white supremicist organization.

Here are a few good sites on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; you can help things by clicking on each one of these sites, and by copying this list with links and posting it on your blog:

More resources:

15 Comments | Accuracy, Bogus history, Civil Rights, History, History audio sources, History Methods and Tools, Hoaxes, Libraries, Martin Luther King, Racism, Voodoo history | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

A day to fly a flag: Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 19, 2009

Old Glory and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Old Glory and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., addresses the crowd outside the United Nations, April 15, 1967," by Benedict J. Fernandez

Our flags get a double shot of exercise this week.  Flags fly on the third Monday of January in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tomorrow, the flags fly in honor of the inauguration of the president of the U.S., a once-every-four-years event.  Back-to-back flag fly dates.

We live in a brief period when history piles up deeply, so quickly  it is almost beyond our ability to take it in, let alone appreciate the experience.  41 years after the death Martin Luther King, Jr., we prepare to swear in an African-American as president.

For the first time in U.S. history, we fly flags in honor of two different African-Americans, on consecutive days, with sanction from the Congress and laws of the United States.

P. Z. Myers wonderfully reflects on the legacy and thoughts of King here, “There are good reasons to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.,” letting King speak for himself.  History is Elementary features a good sampling of materials teachers can use on King, here, “King Day, 2009.” Farm School hightlights King’s advocacy of nonviolence with a good focus on his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.

So, go put your flag up today, and fly it tomorrow, too.

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and President Lyndon B. Johnson, at the White House, on December 3, 1963 - photo by Yoichi Okamoto; public domain, LBJ Library/National Archives

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and President Lyndon B. Johnson, at the White House, on December 3, 1963 - photo by Yoichi Okamoto; public domain, LBJ Library/National Archives

12 Comments | Civil Rights, Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, Heroes, History, Martin Luther King, Nonviolent protest | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

SMU’s Martin Luther King Week

January 22, 2008

Southern Methodist University celebrates the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., all week long.

MLK talks with reporters at SMY, 3-17-1966

SMU has about an hour of tape of a speech Dr. King delivered at SMU in 1966. While the speech is not particularly noteworthy, it’s a good example of King’s rhetoric of the time. You can put it on your iPod.

It’s interesting SMU has made it available on-line, the first time the recording has been made available. Teachers will also want to check out the clip from the campus newspaper for DBQ questions, and printed excerpts from the speech.

It’s a real period piece — King in a southern, formerly segregated town, so soon after the Voting Rights Act. Real history, real people. Very interesting.

Photo of King speaking at SMU SMU has activities running all week long. Things change in 40 years.

(Check out the socks and ties of the men on stage — and where are the women?)

  • Photos from SMU, from the archives of the campus newspaper, The SMU Campus.

5 Comments | Civil Rights, DBQ sources, Historic documents, History, History images, Martin Luther King | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Fly your flag today, for Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 21, 2008

MLK with U.S. flag

Fly your flag today, the third Monday of January, set aside to celebrate the birth and life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Resources:

Share a dream:

Add to FacebookAdd to NewsvineAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Furl

9 Comments | Civil Rights, Education, History, Martin Luther King | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

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