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The Radicalization of Martin Luther King, Jr. + Dr. Martin Luther King: Where Do We Go From Here?

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

Image via Cocoabiscuit

Dandelion Salad

Originally posted on Jan. 20, 2013

“One day we must ask the question, “Why are there forty million poor people in America?” And when you begin to ask that question, you’re raising a question about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy.” — “Where Do We Go From Here?” Martin Luther King, Jr., Aug. 16, 1967

“These are revolutionary times. All over the globe, men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression, and out of the wombs of a frail world new systems of justice and equality are being born. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are rising up as never before. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” — “Beyond Vietnam – A Time to Break Silence,” Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4, 1967

The Radicalization of Martin Luther King

on Jan 20, 2013

Anthony Monteiro: Obama’s presidency has nothing to do with the legacy of King, it’s actually the opposite.

Transcript

Dr. Martin Luther King: Where Do We Go From Here?

Excerpts taken from Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech at the Southern Christian Leadership Council, Atlanta, Georgia. August 16, 1967.

“Let this affirmation be our ringing cry. It will give us the courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.

“Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Let us realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: “Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again.” Let us go out realizing that the Bible is right: “Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” This is our hope for the future, and with this faith we will be able to sing in some not too distant tomorrow, with a cosmic past tense, “We have overcome! We have overcome! Deep in my heart, I did believe we would overcome.””

Read more at the transcript.

From the archives:

Martin Luther King. Jr.: The Three Evils of Society: Racism, Militarism and Capitalism

Happy New Year! The Radical MLK by The Anti-Social Socialist

Caleb Maupin: Martin Luther King Was A Socialist!

I Have a Dream, a Blurred Vision by Michael Parenti

Glen Ford: The Black Elite and the Legacy of MLK + Martin Luther King, Jr.: Organized Non-violent Resistance Is The Most Powerful Weapon

Beyond Vietnam – A Time to Break Silence By Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Newly Discovered 1964 MLK Speech on Civil Rights, Segregation and Apartheid South Africa (must-read/listen)

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr: I Have Been to the Mountain Top + MLK, in His Own Words