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 Remembering Dr. King 
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I have just completed reading "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" and am again deeply moved by its contents. Written in defense of his cause to fellow clergymen Dr. King gave an extremely persuasive arguement for the support of his cause, and the for the role that the church should play activism for justice. I thought I'd provide a few quotations for you to ponder and respond to, for I am intersested in others thoughts about them, and how they might apply to contemporary issues 30 years later. Hopefully it will not all be covered in class.
- "there is a type of constructive non-violent tension necessary for growth"pg. 300
-" it is a historical fact that priveleged groups seldom give up their voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but as Rheinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals."pg. 301
-"there are two types of law just and unjust"pg 302
-" Shallow understanding of people of good will is more frustrating than than absolute miunderstanding of people of ill will." pg 303
-"Perhaps the South, the nation, and the world are in dire need of more creative extemeists."pg 305
-" I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to obtain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong to use moral means to obtain immoral ends."307

Most importantly...."Let us all hopre that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenchenced communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty." Has Dr. King's dream been seen, or is it possible that he died in vain?


Thu Feb 20, 2003 8:50 am
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i had to respond to this one simply because if someone else didn't post that quote, i was definitely going to.... the final quote in lauren's post,

"Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tmorrow, the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintilating beauty."

that has got to be one of the most beautiful things ever said by a political figure--ha. this is definitely the most powerful persuasive essay that i have ever studied. we disssected it last semester in my American Lit class. he uses logical arguments, emotional supportive statements, and appeals to authority with plenty of name-dropping; it is absolutely perfect. hats off to dr king for his eloquent letter, for his vision, but i regret to inform you that i cannot say that we have ever seen more than a brief glimpse of his dream present in our world today.[/code]

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Molly Flynn Peterson


Thu Feb 20, 2003 10:42 am
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i just wanted to make the point that NO Dr. King did not die in vain! and two how can you molly say, "but i regret to inform you that i cannot say that we have ever seen more than a brief glimpse of his dream present in our world today"

dr king was a wonderful man and he changed the world.
my father is philipino - very dark skin, he used to have to drink from the colored fountains, and the humilation of not being seated when he took my mother out to dinner for a date i could only imagine. - these are just two very "light" instances of racism that was going on during the time - but none the less it was hurtful, and absolutley unjust. Dr King led the wave of change and even though there is still MUCH work to be done, you cant tell me that change, great great change has not taken place.
just ask my dad.

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Brian Gonzales


Thu Feb 20, 2003 1:04 pm
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brian, i see where you are coming from. let me adjust my previous statement; there has been a good amount of change, i guess i still see enough of a problem that i am not satisfied with race relations today. now, i never said he died in vain--but, if you'll refer to his quote that i put in my post, i don't see that happening around me...and that is what i am referring to when i do not see his dream present in the world around me. forgive me for saying, "more than even a brief glimpse" i was not trying to offend, but rather exaggerating a bit while trying to sort through my own emotional feelings on the topic. yes, "great great change" has indeed taken place, you are correct there... but in my own humble opinion, there is a great amount of change that has yet to take place--not just between races, but between social classes, between countries, etc. i hope this gives a clearer picture of where i'm coming from on the subject.

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Molly Flynn Peterson


Thu Feb 20, 2003 4:36 pm
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