Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in His Own Words

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr


While Dr. King is primarily remembered as a civil rights leader, he also championed the cause of the poor and organized the Poor People’s Campaign to address issues of economic justice. Dr. King was also a fierce critic of US foreign policy and the Vietnam War. We play his “Beyond Vietnam” speech, which he delivered at New York’s Riverside Church on April 4, 1967, as well as his last speech, “I Have Been to the Mountain Top,” that he gave on April 3, 1968, the night before he was assassinated.
Democracy Now!

In international conflicts, the truth is hard to come by because most nations are deceived about themselves. Rationalizations and the incessant search for scapegoats are the psychological cataracts that blind us to our sins. But the day has passed for superficial patriotism. He who lives with untruth lives in spiritual slavery. Freedom is still the bonus we receive for knowing the truth. “Ye shall know the truth,” says Jesus, “and the truth shall set you free.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Real News

Alice Walker on Obama’s White House Visit

One day after Barack Obama’s first visit to the White House as President-elect, we speak to the Pulitzer-winning novelist Alice Walker. In a recent open letter to Obama, Walker writes, “Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.”

With reactions from author Eduardo Galeano, Dr. Vincent Harding, political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Relevant links: theroot.com, democracynow.org, prisonradio.org.

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Historic 2008 Election Could See Unprecedented Attempts to Bar African American Voters

In the latest issue of the New York Review of Books, Hacker writes, “Obstacles to getting blacks to vote have always been formidable, but this year there will be barriers—some new, some long-standing—that previous campaigns have not had to face.” [includes rush transcript]

via Democracy Now!

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