Garvey's Ghost: Black Talk

King Jr at 75

Today, not Monday, is the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You won't hear too much about him until Monday when the federal holiday is observed. It must be sad to see a person who is hailed by all, followed by few, and understood by even less. I have always disagreed with the concept of non-violence. I understand why it is used but I'm not one for letting people beat on me, and I definitely don't see the point of being beat upon for things that one could do for oneself. But I'm not going to use this space to debate the pros and cons of non-violence. What I will comment on, is how this man has effectively been locked into "the dream." Dr. King was perhaps one of the most hated black men in the United States, though probably more liked that Malcolm X. Most people who have no real understanding of King as a developing man would think that King was a dreamer. King by the time he was assasinated had moved farther beyond such dreams and indeed was coming much closer to the ideology held by Malcolm X. King may never have repudiated non-violence, but he was learning of and directly addressing the global issue of "racism." It is believed by many (myself included) that this shift in focus and ideology is what got him killed.
No doubt Monday will have many non-blacks praising Dr. King the dreamer. He is the only "black" hero that they are comfortable with and is thier bonafides of claiming to be "not racist." Yet many of these King worshippers will not find the same heroism in Marcus Garvey or a slew of Black people, male and female that were not as "palatable" as Dr. King has been made to be. In this the true nature of these so called allies is revealed. For if Dr. King can be accepted but not a Garvey or Malcolm, then we have a conditional acceptance. And I don't accept that. Here's to hoping that this year some people will find out where Dr. King's thinking went after the March On Washington. They should start with this:

http://www.blackcommentator.com/25/25_king.html