Today at the Forum: A fitting place for MLK

Monday, November 13, 2006

A fitting place for MLK

Today in Washington, ground was broken on a $100 million monument for the late Martin Luther King Jr.

That's amazing, considering King was reviled as a communist and agitator during his lifetime. Yet without his ceaseless agitation and compelling moral authority, this country would be worse off and my very place on this editorial board might not have happened. King risked his life so that all of our lives could be better.

Today should be a moment of pride for all Americans.

21 Comments:

at 10:08 AM, November 14, 2006

Anonymous said...

I guess with this in place we can stop being accused of being a racist country.I suppose with this in place Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and other race baiting pimps can go look for legitimate lines of work. Doubt it.

Name another country that has done anything on the scale of the American civil rights movement, what other country would spend 100 million dollars on such a site?

at 10:46 AM, November 14, 2006

Anonymous said...

I can't name another country, but I know a city that spent $60 million or so.....

at 4:15 PM, November 14, 2006

Anonymous said...

Martin Luther King was a beacon for us all preaching equality, justice, civil discourse, freedom, family unity as brothers and sisters, and most of all good citizenship. Just read his speech "I have a dream".

The MLK monument is a fitting representation of this leader and these principles. However, why do Blacks dishonor MLK's legacy, on a daily basis?

Where have we gone wrong?
- Blacks demand affirmative action and set asides for perpetuity.
- Inner city neighborhoods predominantly populated with Blacks are strife with Black on Black crime, prostitution, drug trafficking, and failure by “good citizens” stepping forward to witness against criminals.
- The Great Welfare State solution has broken up Black families and the strong moral leadership and discipline they provided. Generations after generations have been raised as dependent poor “slaves” to the Welfare State.
- Blacks are raised to mistrust, disrespect, and mistreat Police.
- Education is not cherished as a means to capitalization on MLK’s dream of equal opportunity.
- Black culture disrespects one another, with RAP music and their crude inhuman lyrics.
- Black Leaders and Preachers hustle the system and “race-bait” for their personal gain, at the expense of those they purport to help.

MLK’s dream for Blacks and us all will be realized when we follow his path of personal responsibility, civility, respect, and love of fellow man, as he wrote in “I have a dream”.

at 7:42 PM, November 14, 2006

Anonymous said...

Even money says Anon 4:15 is a white guy...contrary to his/her claims.

Not that a black person could not have those opinions, just that they would have been worded a little "less white."

White linguist

at 10:15 PM, November 14, 2006

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous 4:15

Wait, let me see are you saying these problems are unique to blacks. I'm not black and brother I can smell the hypocracy googles away. It's time we wake up to King's dream and realize the inequalities that still exist in our socity. And much to some people's surprise they are not all due to the problems within the black race.

at 12:01 PM, November 15, 2006

Anonymous said...

I'm not a linguist but I'm white and I agree anon 4:15 is white.

Isn't this shameful. I'd hate the world to see the stupidity and racism of the first two posters.
(By the way, my first responsive was deleted - I don't know why)
Basically it said that from my view sitting in my comfortable lilly white suburb; around picnic tables, and ballfields, in church pews and at the Y - we are still an incredibly racist society. I can't believe the things I hear come out of "regular" average neighbors and friends. Most appauling is the comments from my kids friends at LaSalle and other catholic high schools - it is a breeding ground for acceptable racism.
It is deplorable!

at 1:12 PM, November 15, 2006

Anonymous said...

And on Nov. 14, we have this article that points out how wrong all the smug dittoheads are.

Report: Race Gap In U.S. Persists

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2006
(AP) Decades after the civil rights movement, racial disparities in income, education and home ownership persist and, by some measurements, are growing in the United States.

White households had incomes that were two-thirds higher than blacks and 40 percent higher than Hispanics last year, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

White adults were also more likely than black and Hispanic adults to have college degrees and to own their own homes. They were less likely to live in poverty.

"Race is so associated with class in the United States that it may not be direct discrimination, but it still matters indirectly," said Dalton Conley, a sociology professor at New York University and the author of "Being Black, Living in the Red."

"It doesn't mean it's any less powerful just because it's indirect," he said.

Home ownership grew among white middle-class families after World War II when access to credit and government programs made buying houses affordable. Black families were largely left out because of discrimination, and the effects are still being felt today, said Lance Freeman, assistant professor of urban planning at Columbia University and author of "There Goes the 'Hood."

Home ownership creates wealth, which enables families to live in good neighborhoods with good schools. It also helps families finance college, which leads to better-paying jobs, perpetuating the cycle, Freeman said.

"If your parents own their own home they can leave it to you when they pass on or they can use the equity to help you with a down payment on yours," Freeman said.

Three-fourths of white households owned their homes in 2005, compared with 46 percent of black households and 48 percent of Hispanic households. Home ownership is near an all-time high in the United States, but racial gaps have increased in the past 25 years.

Black families have also been hurt by the decline of manufacturing jobs — the same jobs that helped propel many white families into the middle class after World War II, said Hilary Shelton, director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Washington office.

Among Hispanics, education, income and home ownership gaps are exacerbated by recent Latin American immigrants. Hispanic immigrants have, on average, lower incomes and education levels than people born in the United States. About 40 percent of U.S. Hispanics are immigrants.

Asian Americans, on average, have higher incomes and education levels than whites. However, they have higher poverty rates and lower home ownership rates.

The Census Bureau released 2005 racial data on incomes, education levels, home ownership rates and poverty rates Tuesday. The data are from the American Community Survey, the bureau's new annual survey of 3 million households nationwide. The Associated Press compared the figures with census data from 1980, 1990 and 2000.

Among the findings:

Black adults have narrowed the gap with white adults in earning high school diplomas, but the gap has widened for college degrees. Thirty percent of white adults had at least a bachelor's degree in 2005, while 17 percent of black adults and 12 percent of Hispanic adults had degrees.

Forty-nine percent of Asian Americans had at least a bachelor's degree in 2005.

The median income for white households was $50,622 last year. It was $30,939 for black households, $36,278 for Hispanic households and $60,367 for Asian households.

Median income for black households has stayed about 60 percent of the income for white households since 1980. In dollar terms, the gap has grown from $18,123 to $19,683.

Hispanic households made about 76 percent as much as white households in 1980. In 2005, it was 72 percent.

The gap in poverty rates has narrowed since 1980, but it remains substantial. The poverty rate for white residents was 8.3 percent on 2005. It was 24.9 percent for black residents, 21.8 percent for Hispanic residents and 11.1 percent for Asian residents.

Thomas Shapiro, professor of law and social policy at Brandeis University, said the "easiest answer" to narrowing racial gaps is to promote home ownership, which would help minority families accumulate wealth.

"The wealth gap is not just a story of merit and achievement, it's also a story of the historical legacy of race in the United Sates," said Shapiro, author of "The Hidden Cost of Being African American."

Shelton, of the NAACP, called for more government funding for preschool programs, improving public schools and making college more affordable.

"Income should not be a significant determining factor whether someone should have an opportunity to go to college," Shelton said.

at 8:42 PM, November 15, 2006

Anonymous said...

I wrote Anon 4:15. I am a White guy, since it matters to you. Is the message any less relevant whether the author is Black, White, Yellow, or whatever color and race?

I reread what I wrote. Through your colored lenses, you assumed what you wanted to assume.

No where did I identify myself as Black or White. No where did I write that the problems listed were unique to Blacks. To the contrary, I wrote "Martin Luther King was a beacon for us all" and "MLK’s dream for Blacks and us all".

The problems I listed are shared by Blacks and Whites. MLK was a Black man and he and his ideals are celebrated by Blacks and Whites. The reason for referencing Blacks is that we are recognizing MLK. Blacks must first help themselves, before Whites will be capable of successfully assisting with solving the problems of Blacks.

The problems I listed have been created by Blacks NOT following MLK's ideals and by Whites treating Blacks as second class citizens. Blacks should be held to the same standards as Whites, provided the same opportunities, and rewarded fairly for equivalent performance. Setting lowers standards for Blacks and creating a welfare system that promotes generations of Black family’s dependency on the government is a disservice to us all, especially Blacks.

Nothing is more motivating and rewarding than to be a successful self reliant person who is able to help not only yourself and family but also your fellow man. With personal independence and freedom follows respect, pride, and happiness as “I have a dream” presents.

But you bigots and “politically correct police” will read what you want into the plain written English. However, thank you for highlighting a fundamental point: that we should be arguing the messages and not who are the messengers.

at 10:17 AM, November 16, 2006

Anonymous said...

To the 4:15 poster,

You are absolutely correct, in all that you have written. Both of your posts make sound, firm points, are clear and direct, and if heeded, would make an enormous difference in society today. It's time to argue the message, not the messenger. But Cincinnati is ignorant, hate-filled, blind to political party loyalty at the cost of intelligent logic and rationalization, and racist. The proof is in the responses you got.

There is rampant racism on the Black side, as well. These people want nothing to do with "whitey" or anything the White population has produced. Black people have separate business organizations and social organizations, even a completely different collegiate system in this country that is built for, and only accepts, Blacks. This is not White racism. This is Black racism. Where do you think they learned it?

This pleases racist White society, and that's why it's accepted.

MLK was a man of God. God made the Black people, the White people, the Brown people...we are like flowers to God, each unique and gorgeous in a bouquet. All these so-called Christians out there, Black and White, should be ashamed of themselves for thinking they are better than God to decide who is worthy and who is not.

I'm not Black. But lots of people in this town think I'm 'biracial', so I've heard firsthand from the mouths themselves, on both the Black and White sides, the nasty evil of racism...the thing is, Blacks have spoken as if I were also Black, and Whites have spoken as if I were White (which most people of Mediterranian ancestry are technically classified). So, I am telling you this based on direct experience.

Isn't it sad when people feel they need to ask a person:
"What are you?"(erm, human?)
"What's your nationality?" (American, proud and free-but this response is never good enough)
"Are you mixed?"(no, I'm 100% human!)
Let's start by ending this ridiculous practice, as well as the stupid habit of hyphenating our American nationality, and perhaps the first step to actually accepting each other can be made. Until we accept each other, nothing else can be done.

at 3:03 PM, November 16, 2006

Anonymous said...

It has taken Bill Cosby, an African-American comedian, up to a year for his message to be first listened to by the African-American community and those who preach that they support this community. Although, there is not yet wide spread support for his message within this community for African-American introspection and self help.

Why should this same message from a non African-American be of less value?

at 4:52 PM, November 16, 2006

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 1:12 PM, November 15, 2006 states the obvious. Having won equality of civil rights in the 1960’s, Blacks have not achieved financial equality, after 40+ years of the The Great Society and The Welfare State’s social economic policies. Who is arguing this point of inequity?

The argument is how these bastions of Liberal policies have failed. If you believe that only 40 more years of the same failed policies will then lead to successful equality, you are wrong.

Prolonged subsidization of a socioeconomic class leads to that class or society’s failure. It doesn’t matter whether you are rich or poor. If you are indefinitely dependent on others success or pillaging of others for your own success, you will never succeed or eventually fail.

The rich Roman and Egyptian empires could not indefinitely sustain themselves on the fruits of others labor (granted they lasted centuries). Name a single historical poor society or socioeconomic class that succeeded into financial equality by being dependent another class’s effort and success.

The historical proven road or formula for an individual or collective society’s self-reliance and possibly even prosperity is simple:
Personal responsibility and individual determination to succeed.
Education and the practical application of lessons learned.
Obeying the law and helping your neighbor.
A society working together with common goals for the betterment of all.
Ingenuity and entrepreneurialism.
Equality of both opportunity and reward within Capitalism.
Competition that brings out the best in each of us.
Reasoned risk taking.
Most of all - Hard Work.

This argument is particularly relevant today for the entire USA. We are in a Global Economy. We will only improve our competitiveness with the Chinese and other emerging economic world powers by following proven principles to economic success. Protectionist National Policy will not save the USA in the world economy. Likewise, neither will Affirmative Action and the Welfare State lead to financial equality for Blacks and other minorities within the USA economy. Follow the proven historical lessons for social economic success!

at 4:59 PM, November 16, 2006

Anonymous said...

Sometimes the saddest things I see are successful balcks who deny the reality of what they had to overcome to get where they are and refuse to acknowledge that for every one balck who tries hard and makes it - there are 100 more who tried just a hard, and by chance of opportunity - were condemned to fail.
two recently re-done studies showed that
1) students with black sounding names getting signifcantly lower grades on tests scored compared to identical tests bearing traditinal white names -- how can we deny racism still exists when such flagrant proof exists in our very academic setting - that are supposed to be the great equalizer?
2) the very young children who were giving two dolls - identical except race - and black children were asked to pick out the "pretty" one and others were asked to pick out the "good" - black children overwhelmingly chose the white baby doll - my god - this is the image of themselves and their world that they are up against - again, how can we deny the impact of racism when it is engrained in our youngest children so early on in life? and how did we as a society do that? it was because we are racists - whether we acknoeledge it, rationalize it or deny it.

MLK, where is the next civil rights leader?

at 8:10 PM, November 16, 2006

Anonymous said...

To Anon 4:59 PM, November 16, 2006; are you going to wait for racism to be 100% eliminated before you act and be a leader for yourself and others?

Racism has existed since recorded history and probably sooner. By what rationale do you expect it to be eliminated in our lifetime?

Your tale of 100 failures per single success story (with the assumption of equal effort and equal performance) is exaggerated, pathetic and uninspiring. Your negative attitude will worsen the 100 to 1 failure rate you claim; and dream to improve.

Racism exists within the hatred of many hearts. We should aspire and work to change these hearts but not use this as an excuse for inactivity. Your “Woe is we” message helps no one. Be a leader! If you don’t know how…..ask.

at 12:19 PM, November 17, 2006

Anonymous said...

anon 8:10
From anon 4:59

First - I am white, my kids are white, I live in a lilly white neighborhood.

Secondly, I volunteer fulltime to help - and where I learned about the toll of racism in this community - the minority and disadvantaged families struggling against a system that is set up, to knock them down.

I have seen huge disparties inthe way minorities are treated in every program from welfare to child support to education. Generally, the only reason I can find for the disparity in that treatment is the color of their skin.
Just a few years ago our federal government was sued for widespread discrimination againt minority farmers - denied the same program benefits as their white counterparts.

There is a systemic, institutional reality to racism.

I know I'm doing my part - what are you doing?

YOur "woe is we" wrongly assumes I am black.

Facts support what I say - YOUR heart is well reflected in your own writings, (Uncle TOm?)

Perpetutate the big lie that racism doesn't exist, then you can justify your own failure to address the problem

at 3:44 PM, November 17, 2006

Anonymous said...

It is interesting reading this thread. Often writers accuse others of being racist. Then, they proceed to make an unfounded racist statement themselves.

For instance, Anon 8:10 PM, November 16, 2006 never identified anyone specifically by race. The comments referred to a person of any race.

Then, Anon 12:19 PM, November 17, 2006 makes racial assumptions about this same writer. Who is White or Black and whether they are commenting to a White or Black. To top it off, the writer throws some racial slur out (Uncle Tom).

Racism exists. If you are trying to solve problems by racially labeling everyone (yourself and others you may disagree with) to you liking, you are perpetuating racism.

at 5:40 PM, November 17, 2006

Anonymous said...

Wow! Even the righteous “do-gooders” sling the racial mud with the best of the racist.

at 2:06 AM, November 18, 2006

Anonymous said...

do you know what an "uncle Tom" is? Good then it summed up what I believe the identity of the person is and the perspective fromwhich they come. Was it an insult? yes. Was it racist? - no. am i perfect - surely not - i hope i learn more each day. but i'm tired of people of the "pick yourself up by the bootstraps" ideology who don't get it that when many of these people bend up to grab those boot straps they take it in the rear.
I have been blessed to have what I have - if my skin color were different- my circumstances wouldn't be so good. The jobs and promotions I received while others with more seniority were passed over - held back because they didn't share the "culture" of the bosses. The homeloan I received tha tI know no blackfamily could have gotten under the same cirucmstances. Even the occassional eyes that focus downward when coming face to face in an elevator......

at 9:11 AM, November 18, 2006

Anonymous said...

The reality that the "everyone can make it if they are personally responsible" crowd fail to acknowledge is that there is not and never has been in America full employment. There is not a job for every able bodied American of working age.

Recently a candy store set to open in Times Square announced it would be hiring full time employees at $10.75 an hour.

The call for job applications seemed routine; certainly nobody at corporate headquarters gave it much thought. A new candy store that would be opening in Times Square needed workers. Starting pay was $10.75 an hour.

But by midmorning yesterday, a huge, swelling, discontented crowd of job seekers was milling around the sidewalks of Midtown Manhattan, not far from Macy’s in Herald Square, filling the air with curses.

The crowd put a human face on jobless statistics at a time when the city’s unemployment rate, 4.5 percent in September, was the lowest since 1988.

Several thousand people — mostly young, black and Hispanic — had shown up to apply for fewer than 200 positions, only 65 of them full-time jobs. They came, they said, because of a phrase that had leapt out of the advertisements for the jobs: “on-the-spot hiring.” But there were too many people clogging the sidewalk outside the building on Eighth Avenue between 35th and 36th Streets where the company was conducting interviews, and everyone was abruptly told to go home and mail in the job applications.

Tamika Jones, 28, a Brooklyn mother of three school-age children, looked at the faces of other disappointed job-seekers and said: “This is what unemployment looks like in New York City. I wanted to cry.”

Alphonzo Puzie, 31, from the Bronx, used to work in a laundry and is desperate for work. “I was very disappointed,” he said. “It burns the spirit.”

Many had arranged for baby sitters, traveled from other boroughs and New Jersey, and lined up as early as 1 a.m., only to be told eventually that there were no more jobs being offered that day.

For those who assert that white privilege does not exist, who among them would prefer being black? Chris Rock summed it up thusly:

"There ain't a white man in this room that would change places with me," Rock says in a riff about white privilege. "None of you would change places with me -- and I'm rich!

"That's how good it is to be white. There's a white, one-legged busboy in here right nowthat won't change places with my black ass. He's going 'no, man, I don't wanna switch. I wanna ride this white thing out. See where it takes me.'"

at 10:58 AM, November 18, 2006

Anonymous said...

Whites and Blacks in the USA will both soon mutually understand what it means to be a minority. By statistical trends, Hispanics will soon be the majority. Then, we'll see if viewpoints change.

at 11:10 AM, November 18, 2006

Anonymous said...

Please educate us how “Uncle Tom” is not racist. I rely on my education, experience, and the dictionary for my understanding but am willing to learn.

Per the dictionary:

Uncle Tom
Disparaging and Offensive.
a black man considered by other blacks to be subservient to or to curry favor with whites.
[Origin: 1920–25, American; so called after the leading character in Uncle Tom's Cabin]

n. Offensiv.
A Black person who is regarded as being humiliatingly subservient or deferential to white people.
[After Uncle Tom, a character in Uncle Tom's Cabin, a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe.]

n 1: contemptuous name for a Black man who is abjectly servile and deferential to Whites [syn: Tom, Uncle Tom] 2: a servile black character in a novel by Harriet Beecher

at 9:40 AM, November 20, 2006

Anonymous said...

Based on this topic's comments and responses, it appears the prospects for racial harmony are bleak. Many speak (write) but few listen (read objectively).

Previous Posts

Monday, November 13, 2006

A fitting place for MLK

21 Comments: