I have a dream … that we may all take the time to listen to the words of Martin Luther King Jr. instead of perpetually misinterpreting him. A breathtaking orator and stunning leader, King brought a fierce, yet productive energy to the Civil Rights Movement and has a right to be recognized for his leadership in this inspirational fight. In fact, I believe all Americans should fully understand the roots of King’s arguments, all of which trace back to our nation’s founding documents.
To commemorate MLK Day, I chose to take another look at one of his greatest rhetorical masterpieces: his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. While this may sound clichéd, it seemed much more fitting than joining a MLK Day parade. Toward the beginning of this speech, King praises the “magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence,” and recognizes how the “architects of our republic” promised that “all men, … black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the ‘unalienable Rights’ of ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’”With these comments, King proudly defends the ideas of our Founding Fathers. Instead of rejecting the relevance of their principles, he argues that both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution bolster our God-given right to equality.
Indeed, King looks ahead to a brighter future when “this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘that all men are created equal.’” He doesn’t “dream” about the day when wealth would be redistributed to minimize economic inequality. Rather, he argues that black people simply should not be obstructed by the barriers of racism and unfair discrimination in their “pursuit of Happiness.”
In other words, King distinctly advocates equality of opportunity. Black people deserve the same opportunities as white people to succeed in their endeavors. He foresees a nation that stands by its first principles.
King’s words epitomized the earliest tenets of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as reflected by the group’s vision statement: “The vision of the NAACP is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.” “Equal protection of the laws,” as defined by the 14th Amendment, was the ultimate goal.
Oh how things have changed.
These days, the group tends to blame any and all economic disparities on racism, going so far as to capitalize on the threat of global warming. In addition to citing the damage of several natural disasters as evidence, the NAACP website notes that “climate change is about the fact that in our communities it is far easier to find a bag of Cheetos than a carton of strawberries.”
A-men. The real “inconvenient truth” has been revealed to us!
Fortunately, many in the black community reject these counterproductive efforts. In a “60 Minutes” interview, the legendary Morgan Freeman commented that “the only way to get rid of racism is to stop talking about it.” Racism is no longer an “epidemic” in our nation and is considered socially unacceptable, so why should we draw attention to it? Hate criminals crave such attention. Wouldn’t it be much better to punish the bastards and move on?
The NAACP’s preoccupation with race is a false extension of King’s legacy. I will never argue that racism or discrimination should be ignored or set aside. The remnants of our country’s past still haunt us to some degree — the KKK has not disappeared, racial hate speech still exists and many black people continue to live in poverty. But you have to admit, we’ve come quite a long way in a few short decades.
Since 1963, King’s dream has largely been fulfilled. The major barriers to opportunity have been removed by legal force and by a dramatic transformation of social norms. Our society remains imperfect, but has resolved the dominant issues standing in the way of King’s dream. Hatred may continue to linger around, but the tide has turned, and King’s realistic vision of equality has generally materialized.
Instead of catering to liberal politics, the NAACP and similar civil rights organizations need to hold true to our nation’s earliest documents and the words of King. Extensive welfare programs and affirmative action plans aren’t cutting it; they are only creating deeper divisions among racial groups.
Rather than granting artificial assistance to “disadvantaged” minorities, why don’t we simply get out of their way so that they can succeed by their own merit, just as King envisioned?
Only by remaining true to this man’s words can we fulfill his dream.
Wow this essay was beautiful!
you nailed it. the problem with the ongoing saga of racism is that people too often resort to categorizing themselves in groups rather than trying to set themselves apart as individuals to become the full and complete adult that God intended for them. Then it gets worse when people seek to nurse off the tit of the state. They need to understand that it is the very act of receiving bootee that was taken from one group to be doled out to another harms both; and empowers centralized control over all. I agree with senator Rand Paul and his father that the racism issue can be resolved by simply denouncing collectivism and embracing individualism. Congratulations on an informative, thought provoking and well written article
Joe Mckenna
Brendan,
Wow. First off, question to Mustang Daily staff: This essay is listed under “News”…Is that an error? Or does ALL of Mustang Daily share these opinions?
Your arguments make absolutely no sense. It’s really easy to ignore the rampant racism that still exists in this country when you have spent your entire life on the mostly-white conservative central coast. And even then, may I direct your attention to say this:
http://mustangdaily.net/forum-addresses-hate-crimes-in-slo-county/
…which happened less than a year ago.
Also, just a note…the earliest American documents didn’t even consider African Americans to be full human beings. So no, while you are right to claim that Dr. King certainly promotes equality and democracy, he mentions historical American documents to point out the inconsistencies between what Americans are promised in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and how people were actually treated (which is frankly, still a very relevant discussion today).
I really suggest doing some research before you write these editorials. One of my biggest issues with your argument about Dr. King’s use of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is you take his quotation out of context. You pick and chose the parts that barely support your baseless points and neglect his actual argument that, “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note [Constitution and Declaration of Independence], insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.'”
Let me Sparknote that for you: The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are fancy pieces of paper that make promises that are not fulfilled in reality. You see, Dr. King calls these documents a “false check.” In this sense, his message is not that, as you say, “black people simply should not be obstructed by the barriers of racism and unfair discrimination” but is actually that, “this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed,” meaning that he dreams that one day the language and words of our “creed” will match the behavior of our racist nation.
No, I believe Dr. King would be very disappointed with the lack of progress in the past several decades. Your flat arguments and ignorant opinions prove this.
I challenge you to really explore the issue of racism beyond Fox “News” reports and conservative Republican thought. I challenge you to walk into the MCC (Multicultural Center located in the upstairs part of the UU) and talk to students of color who attend Cal Poly. Ask them if they feel discriminated against on our campus. Ask them if they believe that Dr. King’s dream has been realized. Or, for god’s sake, ask them what they think about your understanding of global warming. I challenge you to simply start a real conversation instead of making blind assumptions.
And just for your own information, when the NAACP says, “climate change is about the fact that in our communities it is far easier to find a bag of Cheetos than a carton of strawberries,” they might be referring to the phenomenon simply explained in the below article: (mentioned a few paragraphs in, though it may do you good to read the whole thing)
http://www.foodrevolution.org/racismfoodhealth.htm
Good luck to you in your future endeavors,
Taylor
Yes, that was an error. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
-Web Editor