The Legacy of Martin Luther King

This Message from Rep Joe Dorman reminds all of us of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Joe Dorman is running for Oklahoma Governor to be the Governor of all Oklahomans:

Sharon -  Today, we take time to pause, remember and to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His dedication and service changed all our lives for the better. We owe a great debt to his work, and the work of other great civil rights pioneers, many of whom are Oklahomans.  I hope you’ll join me to reflect on the progress our society has made and the promises we have yet to fulfill. In honoring Dr. King's life and legacy, may we remember what connects us instead of what divides us. His example, his life, his actions all demonstrate the power of love and kindness to change the world and the necessity to stand up for what is right and inclusive versus tearing down through division and hatred. Dr. King’s inspiring legacy demands that we continually work to make our state and nation a place where freedom and equality are a reality for individuals of every race, creed, ethnicity and gender.  The message of Dr. King is just as important today as it was during his life.  Sincerely, Joe “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. . . every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”  - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rep Dorman is correct that the message of Dr. King is just as important today as it was when he was alive.  Over 50 years ago, Dr. King gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech. This excerpt is what I remember the most from his speech when I have listened to it over the years:

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. 

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." 

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. 

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. 

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today. 

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. 

I have a dream today. 

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. 

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." 

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! 

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! 

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California! 

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! 

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! 

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. 

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Where would we have been today if the life of MLK was not cut short?  Sometimes the hateful words that come out of the hard right toward minorities make it seem as though we are going back in time not forward.  Will never understand men and women I used to think were reasonable who have become so hateful and nasty because a black man was elected President.  It says more about them then it will ever say about President Obama.  The Conservative Republicans who attack our President relentlessly are small minded people who are not open to change.  They want the status quo before minorities or women could vote in their non-reality world.  The leadership of the hard right is devoid of empathy for their fellow human beings as the 'my way or no way' crowd has taken over.  

It is up to all of us to ensure that the legacy of Dr. King is never forgotten and strive every day in our own communities to make this a better place for all Americans.

When I read this today it hit home the foresight Dr. King displayed and how important it is that we not only honor him but we take his words to heart:

Martin Luther King's Leadership Lessons
Posted: 01/20/2014 4:49 am 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader who, like Mahatma Gandhi before him, and Nelson Mandela after him, showed us the way from weakness and division to strength in unity. 

He challenged and inspired us to reach deeper within ourselves, despite ourselves, for our best, which sometimes is, simply, better than yesterday. His power endures because it's rooted in the courage to hold hope and faith in each others potential: "knowing" we can do it... we can be better every day, each in our own way. 

On this, the U.S. holiday celebrating his life and legacy, I present you with ten of his extraordinary thoughts on leadership:

• "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus."

• "I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good."

• "All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality."

• "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

• "The time is always right to do the right thing."

• "We must use time creatively."

• "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

• "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically."

• "Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness."

• "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy"

Was so impressed with the President's speech on the 50th Anniversary of the MLK 'I Have a Dream' Speech on August 28, 2013, that I thought it was worth reliving on this MLK Day:

Heard on the news that over 10,000 people lined the parade route today in Tulsa:

Tulsa's MLK parade draws thousands downtown 

Clear skies and shirt-sleeve temperatures drew thousands of people to downtown Tulsa’s Martin Luther King Day Parade. 

With nearly 200 entries from as far away as Missouri and Kansas, the annual parade has become a truly regional event and one of the largest MLK celebration in this part of the county, said parade chairman Fred Jones.

“We like to look good in Tulsa,” he said. “And I guess we do because we’re getting attention from all over the place.” 

Highlights included the University of Oklahoma’s Sooner Schooner followed by the 2014 Sugar Bowl trophy.

As we go forward into the 2014 election cycle, we need to elect office holders who will work for all the people not a select few.  The person who donates $5 needs to be considered the same as the person who donates thousands because it is a lot harder for some to donate that $5 then it is for wealthy donors to give thousands.  

We need to make sure that our water and are air are clean for our children and grandchildren and they have an opportunity to be anything they want to be by joining forces to fulfill the dreams of Dr. King.

God Bless this Great County and its people!

President Obama Spoke for All Americans in Hornoring the 50th Anniversary of Dr. King's March on Washington

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.  (Dr. Martin Luther King, 28 August, 1963, from his speech at the Lincoln Memorial)

This speech by President Obama at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday honoring the 50th Anniversary of Dr. King's March on Washington where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech makes me proud of the vote I cast as a Republican for Barack Obama for President on November 6th, 2012.  He truly is a man of all the people in this Country no matter what the hard right has to say which includes most Republican members of Congress.

Not one Republican member of the Congress showed up to the event yesterday even though they all received invitations from the organizing group who also asked Republican Congressional leadership to talk at the event.  The new black South Carolina Senator Scott's office had the audacity to say he didn't receive an invite, then it was lost in the mail, but the real reason is that no Republicans showed up and he refused to attend for IMO fear of the hard right constituents.  That's sad out of a Party that talks about a restart with the minority community when they won't even attend the 50th Anniversary March on Washington by Dr. King and thousands of Americans across the Country.

Shame on Congressional Republicans.  GOP doesn't need to ask for my vote in November 2014 because my vote goes to the people who truly stand for "We the People" meaning every last person no matter race or nationality or gender.

This speech by President Obama sent chills up my spine when he talks about We the People are marching.  He has my full support!


Watch: President Obama's speech from the Lincoln Memorial

50 Years of American Heroes

Valerie Jarrett

August 28, 2013 

07:52 PM EDT 

Read his full remarks 

Fifty years ago, the heroic voice of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. rang out across our capital, our country, and the world, and called on us to become the more perfect union he believed we were destined to be. A country which endows every man, woman and child with unalienable rights to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  

These are words which we repeat so often, that their depth and relevance today can easily be missed. 

Any nation which pledges to honor its citizen’s right to “life” should enact and protect laws which ensure high quality and affordable access to the doctors, treatment, and preventative care we need to live full and healthy lives.   

Any country committed to defending “liberty” should protect our fundamental right as Americans; the right to vote. Our liberty is dependent upon free and inclusive elections, and our ability to peacefully hold our leaders accountable, while directing the course of our country. Dr. King was the first to tell us that the “arc of the moral universe is long, but that it bends toward justice.” President Obama went further today, to remind us all that "the arc of the moral universe may bend toward justice, but it doesn't bend on its own." 

The right to “pursue happiness” is most secure when we put the education of all of our children, the growth of our economy, the health of our businesses, the creation of jobs, and the stability of our markets ahead of self-interest, and political posturing. Every American deserves to feel the pride of a hard-earned paycheck, and the opportunity to achieve their dreams, regardless of who they are, or the zip code of their birth. 

As we reflect on the tremendous progress made over the past half-century, we honor those brave leaders who paved the way, and upon whose shoulders we all stand, by recognizing our responsibility to undertake the immense job still at hand. This is a time to reaffirm our commitment to the ideals on which America was founded, and to help ensure this country continues to “rise up,” as Dr. King declared 50 years ago, and “live out the true meaning of its creed.”  

As President Obama traced the steps of giants today, let us also remember the extraordinary things accomplished by the countless ordinary people, who President Obama often calls America’s “quiet heroes.” They are our parents and grandparents; our coworkers, classmates, and neighbors. They are the men and women in this country who have rolled up their sleeves, and laced up their work boots every day over the past five decades to move this country forward. Some who marched – others who simply took the early shift, year after year, so they would be home in time to cook dinner for their families before heading to a second job. Let us remember the many who have faced down violence, despair, and incredible odds, just to give their children a chance at a better life, and our country the chance to live up to its full potential.  

Today we salute the heroes who inspired us 50 years ago, and we honor the millions more whose blood, sweat, and divine strength have served to define our nation. We honor them with our reverence, and our willingness to sacrifice for the greater good, and march on.  We honor them with our urgent action to deliver all Americans the rights and opportunities they deserve.    

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."  (Martin Luther King Jr., 16 April 1963, Birmingham, AL)

This picture of President Barack and Michelle Obama from in front of the statute of Abraham Lincoln shows how far we have come as a Nation - we cannot retreat now but must move forward to ensure that all people have the same rights including the Right to Vote without suppression.  Not all Republicans support the hard right voter suppression laws being passed and are starting to speak out like General Colin Powell and Cong James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) who believes the Voting Rights Act portion the SCOTUS threw out was wrong and needs rewritten to make sure all have an equal right to vote.   As Head of the House Judiciary, he intends to get the job done in rewriting the law and getting it passed and signed by the President.  The big question is whether GOP leadership will allow his bill to come for a vote.   It is up to all of us to make sure our elected Representatives know we want the Voting Rights Act fully restored and fully implemented.

God Bless this President who is standing tall in the face of chaos created by Congressional Republicans with their hard right stances and refusal to compromise in order not to see the President win a fight.   The 'my way or no way' hard right is going to find out when they return to DC after their boondoggle for five weeks that this President is in no mood for their antics.  As time has passed, we have witnessed this President grow in the job.  Am proud to say that I stand with President Obama on the debt ceiling and budget fights against the shenanigans on the hard right of the House and Senate who do not have the best interests of the American people and this Country at Heart.

Time to move American forward by passing a new Voting Rights Act,  Immigration, Gun Registration, a budget, and most importantly the increase in the debt ceiling without any strings attached.  The American people deserve no less!