Tuesday 31 January 2006

Correta King

Correta Scott King, widow of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, has died aged 78. After her husband's murder Mrs King carried on his civil rights work and also fought for Dr King's legacy to be remembered - because of her his birthday is a national holiday in the states. The world has come a long way since the 4th of April, 1968 but still has a very long way to go - Ang has a piece about police officers being caught on film kicking and beating a black suspect in St Louis. Of course this may have been the appropriate action in the circumstances but recent research suggests that the colour of the victim of a crime in some states of America can determine whether the killer is sentenced to death. In Louisiana black inmates are far less likely to be given parole then white inmates jailed for the same crimes. And it's not just a problem in the US. Here in the UK the leader of the BNP is in court charged with spreading racial hatred and racism plays a major part in Middle East politics.

Rest in peace Mrs King - I hope those of us left have the courage and energy to continue the fight.

5 careful considerations:

kat said...

I hope people do continue the fight.

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Martin Luther King Jr.

Nogbad said...

I agree but I don't think we can abducate responsibility to others can we? I hope we all continue the fight.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

I don't care what God people worship - or none - but while anyone around us judges by creed, colour or gender we have to do something to change it :-)

kat said...

By 'people' I meant all people - Not some or others. It is the silence or the in-action of the many that often allows a problem to continue.

If you are anti-racist you do something about racism when you come across it directly. Sitting back and letting it happen isn't an option but when it is happening at a distance or outside your own little world it is not so easy to tackle. That is not to say that it is okay to abducate responsiblity. It is everyone's responsiblity to do something about it.

Nogbad said...

I'm sure we're not disagreeing Kat! Burke (I think) said "For evil to flourish..........."

Echomouse said...

Oh I love that quote Kat posted. So many lessons we're losing and forgetting.

I was nearly in shock when I heard Mrs. King passed away. I honestly always thought she would defy death, if anyone could.