MLK Day Special: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words

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Today is the federal holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was born January 15, 1929. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. 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 U.S. foreign policy and the Vietnam War. We play his “Beyond Vietnam” speech, which he delivered at New York City’s Riverside Church on April 4, 1967, as well as his last speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” that he gave on April 3, 1968, the night before he was assassinated.

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50 thoughts on “MLK Day Special: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words”

  1. PHILOSOPHY
    HUNKER DOWN

    -PaulTeich-©️10/31/2023
    Hunker Down
    If a boy is sweet
    The empathetic boys, who are sweet, nice, kind and good
    Unbelievably are the children that are not understood
    They are ignored in school and sport for the bad kids that are rewarded for their bad mood
    And sit in class without being called on
    Because to talk out of turn would be rude
    And sit on the bench with their feelings, and just brood
    Well, the adults around them just stood

    Ignored for their empathy, and ignored for their kind
    The bad kids get all the attention
    And the good kids really do mind
    To reward good behavior for ones would be sublime

    I had to raise tough girls, because of the man up men in the world
    But I will raise gentle boys, because when we raise gentle girls, they become tough men’s toys
    But when we learn kindness, instead of brutality
    Man up will be no more, and we can hunker down

    Hunker down instead of man up and man up will be no more
    No matter who was in line first
    And no matter what the score
    When we show off by being kind and good
    We will be showing all that is that we finally understood

    Hunker down instead of man up and don’t run into the bullets Frey
    Hunker down instead of man up and fighting and war will end this day
    Hunker down with kindness is the virtue for the world to save
    Bravery is the prime virtue for without it, the others decay

    So I will raise gentle boys who are romantic and believe in true love
    I will raise gentle boys, and trade in the eagle for a dove
    I will raise gentle boys, who hunker down to save the world
    I will raise them gently, so there can be peace and true love (between boys and girls)

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  2. Philosophy
    Trending 2
    Trending 2
    – PaulTeich-©️10/31/2023
    When random acts of kindness are trending through the land
    When kind becomes the magic word
    And the thing we do is lend a hand
    We won’t worship a bird of prey, but one of peace and love

    When kindness is trending, instead of snuggies and skittles
    Everyone will have homes
    No one will be starving for vittles
    There will be full bellies at dinner tables instead of bombs

    If our minds move in the direction of our most dominant thought
    Peace, love and kindness is, perhaps what we ought
    Steering away from bread and circuses
    Rather to help the needy with health and human services

    Brothers and sisters we are all one
    Separation is painful from the real and the unicorn
    And it is surely not as much fun
    As to live in a democracy, not in need of agrarian reform

    The trend today it’s for the rich not to share
    Poor people are not vulgar we need to learn to care
    Paul Teich. “The Poet”. 2023

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  3. PHILOSOPHY

    TOLERANCE
    -PaulTeich-©️10/31/2023
    Love, cooperation, toleration, kind, and save the world
    Hate, don’t cooperate, inability to tolerate me and the world
    Ammosexuals love guns, homosexuals love my buns, we are a heterogeneous world
    Beneath reproach, we are not, to realize this adds to the melting pot

    Intolerant means you don’t even see me
    Intolerant means, maybe you make me bleed
    Intolerant means you don’t care how I feel
    Intolerant means you don’t understand our oneness iS REAL

    In – tolerant means you are now inside
    In – tolerant the place we are together and meld our minds
    In – tolerant attitude, and we are on each others side
    In – tolerant, we more than tolerate, there is no war, and no one has to hide

    In – tolerant and inside is the world of abide
    Togetherness, love and tears of joy, are cried
    Truth, Justice and an American Way that never lied
    Asking for permission, making KIND our religion and inviting in the whole village

    Intolerance is what led us astray
    In-tolerance we have changed a disparaging word to a place together we can stay

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  4. PHILOSOPHY
    LOVE IS THE SOURCE
    -PaulTeich-©️10/31/2023 This poem is about talking to God about love
    Love is the source of all things
    You are the source of all things
    We can feel your love
    Can you feel ours?

    We can see examples of your power
    Can you see ours?
    Are ours destruction or planting flowers?
    How do you view us from your ivory tower?

    What keeps evil at Bay?
    Is it a spell and Apple and leaf of bay?
    Is it an old-fashioned ruler who thinks she is
    A Bey?
    Or is it the simple acts of simple people taking care of each other day by day?

    You have given us love to turn Earth into
    Eden
    You let us know we were without true gnosis with the Apple Adam had eaten
    Letting us know we get intrinsic worth from giving a rib and not from beating
    Please take away indifference, give us peace and make us care if everyone is eating

    Love is the source
    Whether it comes from you or me, love takes us to heaven on a winged horse
    May peace, love and poetry, save the world!!!

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  5. I grew up in the 60's and believe that MLK attempted to end and bring unity to the racial divide in America. The problem today is that his followers have turned against what MLK was attempting to accomplish and may have played a part in his death. I believe MLK's followers like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson. John Lewis etc. have played a big part in dividing America with hate and racism since MLK's death. We need to put an end to all the hate and racism that has taken over in America. Everyone should be judged by their actions, behavior and character , NOT the color of their skin. GOD created everyone equal and deserves to be treated that way. I believe that the Democrats push for affirmative actions, reparations, and dividing us by race is doing more harm then good. Today's youth are being brainwashed with racial hate and lies by the Democrats, the news media and the changing the narrative of what MLK was attempting to do.

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  8. It's sad that in today's world, too many politicians (You ain't black if you don't vote for me) and their cronies in mainstream media ignore the words of MLK and instead of judging a person by their character, still judge a person by the color of their skin.

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  9. As a country we need to turn back the pages of History to listen and remember what MLK was preaching to America instead of the new twisted agendas and narratives of what these racist organizations, Democrats and the news media are pushing today. We have not moved forward in America, we have actually regressed over their agendas of hate, lies, racism and violence. The constant playing of the race card has no meaning anymore and is destroying and dividing America with racial hate and violence. Today's youth has been brainwashed so bad that they have no clue that it was the Democrats who supported slavery and were slave owners and brought slaves from Africa to America ,while it was the Republicans who pushed and wanted to end slavery and free them. As a country we are no better now then we were when there was slavery and we need to change that. Its time to put an end to racism and unite as a country before we have another civil war.

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  11. Peace for Israel means security. The world and all people of good will must respect the territorial integrity of Israel. We must see Israel’s right to exist and always go out of the way to protect that right to exist. We must also see that Israel is there and any talk of driving the Jews into the Mediterranean, as we have heard over the last few weeks or the last several years, is not only unrealistic talk, but it is suicidal talk for the whole world and I think also it is terribly immoral.

    – from an interview with ABC on June 18, 1967

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  13. Hmmmm, I'm 30 mins through this and not ONCE have it covered Anything about Dr. Kings plight for His People , Black People, Negros , African Americans whatever. No mention of his " Dream" becoming a Nightmare. That he realized he's " led his people into a Burning Building." That all these other Groups got their REPARATIONS, got their free land and resources ( Homestead Act) but for The Black Man, Woman and Child we gotta " pull ourselves up by our boot straps."

    Let's Get real too. My older siblings are in their 60's and they CLEARLY remember America HATED MLKJr. But now all these years later America Loves him. Man cut it out. If you're gonna Show us MLKJr. Show us EVERYTHING. Don't cherry pick to fit your narrative.

    People, Go educate yourself on This Great Man. He wasn't all " love love love." He was about his Business and His People. " We've Come, To Collect Our Check!" – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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  34. Don't forget doctor Martin Luther king mentioned all those people that got help from the US government and black folks need to be going to the White House to get our with check. He was about reparations and if you're not gonna say it that way don't talk about him. He wanted black economic empowerment please tell the truth

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  37. Zum Weinen, weil sich seitdem nichts zum Besseren verändert hat!
    Warum kann der Mensch nicht ĂĽber die Gier nach Macht und Reichtum hinauswachsen und ein anderes humanes System entwickeln?

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  39. The words here were no mere theses of a phd, these were warnings of a prophet, and arrogant America and the words still today refuse to listen.

    The blood of the children of Gaza is calling you out America.

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  40. I've been in rainstorms that were so hard it actually made it hard to breathe. So getting sprayed by water hoses is basically a step away from being waterboarded. Think of the obstruction of air and jets of water stinging and being sprayed consistently hard in your face by fire hoses for a even a minute…. Thats torture. Damn…. Cause people usually just see the old footage and plainly think water, "disgraceful", "a shame", "they're forcing them away"… No that was pain and suffering and inhumane and chaotic lunacy given the cause. We're smarter than that.

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  45. I read he visited Israel l, and at that time supported what Israel was. I would love to see folks talk about how his non-violence approach would view Israel and Palestine today, along with racism today in the US

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  49. I wonder if that 9th grade girl ever got to hear Dr King's Speech referring to her? I wonder if she is still around today and if anybody ever interviewed her.. that would be awesome hopefully she is still with us..?

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  50. Amy, you left out a little something in your last sentence in your closing statement commemorating Dr King when you said that was the last speech he made and was assassinated less than 24 hours later you should have said "…was assassinated 24 hours later by the FBI and CIA."

    Reply

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