In Remembrance.
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Please take a moment today to reflect upon the life and death of Dr. King. Today marks the 40th anniversary of his assassination.
Dr. King went to Memphis 40 years ago to draw attention to the plight of the families of two sanitation workers. They had been making complaints about their truck to the city for years and then one day, after the two men climbed into the back of the truck to get out of the rain, the hydraulic pump that powered the compactor started on its own and the two men were crushed. The city offered each man's family one month's pay ($300) and $500 and considered it all even. Burial expenses alone were $900.
So, I ask you: Do we really take better care of our working poor today? Was Dr. King's trip to Memphis and subsequent death in vain? Or, do we like to simply remember the pretty parts of Dr. King's speeches while forgetting the reasons why he chose to put himself and his family in constant danger--the reasons why he went to Memphis in the first place.
(story taken from the field negro and Miami Herald.)
Dr. King went to Memphis 40 years ago to draw attention to the plight of the families of two sanitation workers. They had been making complaints about their truck to the city for years and then one day, after the two men climbed into the back of the truck to get out of the rain, the hydraulic pump that powered the compactor started on its own and the two men were crushed. The city offered each man's family one month's pay ($300) and $500 and considered it all even. Burial expenses alone were $900.
So, I ask you: Do we really take better care of our working poor today? Was Dr. King's trip to Memphis and subsequent death in vain? Or, do we like to simply remember the pretty parts of Dr. King's speeches while forgetting the reasons why he chose to put himself and his family in constant danger--the reasons why he went to Memphis in the first place.
(story taken from the field negro and Miami Herald.)
3 comments:
Is this a trick question? I was going to say 'pretty parts of speeches,' but now I get the idea that that's not right.
And thanks for the context; I think that's probably the most important part.
You are so right! I thought the same thing when I was reminded this morning of Dr. King's life and death and his peaceful passion for making change. We have got to
move to make some changes when we feel the Spirit move us as he did.
We remember the pretty parts of speeches, and most people I know don't draw any connection at all between Dr. Martin Luther King and anti-poverty campaigns, or anti-war campaigns. They think "civil rights" in black and white terms and have no idea how inclusive and universal his message is. Thanks for your remembrance.
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