Tavis Smiley came home to south Georgia this evening to share a message that gave me and, I hope, the rest of the audience a clearer picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. I am old enough to remember King, but it surprised me when Smiley reminded the packed house at Georgia Southern University's Performing Arts Center that King led the civil rights movement at 26, and received the Nobel Prize for Peace in his early 30s. He was shot dead at 39, and his death has been the force that kept the civil rights movement focused on the future.
Smiley, an African-American radio and television personality who has captured the voice and feel of America, pointed out that Martin Luther King would have been 80 this year. "And he would still be seeking justice for all and holding all Americans, both black and white, accountable to advance the cause of justice."
Noting that many Americans were delighted to be preparing for the inauguration of America's first African-American president, Smiley poked fun at the popular t-shirts that place a parallel between Barack Obama and Martin Luther King, Jr. "Obama is a politician--and a very good one--but King is a prophet," he told the attentive audience. "Tnis is not a post-racial America. The election of Barack Obama is a down payment on the dream, it is NOT the fulfillment of the dream."
Smiley still believes racism to be the most intractable issue issue in America today, even all these years after the March on Washington (1963), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Even in King's time, when large American cities began electing the first black mayors, King's goal was to hold these newly elected leaders accountable to advance the causes of economic, political, and racial injustice. While Smiley is optimistic about Obama, he notes that not once in this year's Presidential debates, was the word "poverty" mentioned.
Using King's words, Smiley encouraged his audience to "step into our greatness." Citing the examples of the 54th Massachusetts, a black regiment that fought in the Civil War, and the Tuskeegee Airmen, who fought in World War II, he encouraged listeners to follow the example of Martin Luther King, Jr., whose actions followed the tradition of deep love for his country.
"The best of Martin is his quintessential example of love," said Smiley. "He loved his country in spite of what it is, not because of what it is. Love is the most powerful and transformative force in the world."
Congratulations to Consuela Ward, director of the University's Multicultural Center, for her work in getting Tavis Smiley to Statesboro. This presentation--and he spoke extemporaneously for nearly two hours--was well worth attending.
Mrs. B
Smiley, an African-American radio and television personality who has captured the voice and feel of America, pointed out that Martin Luther King would have been 80 this year. "And he would still be seeking justice for all and holding all Americans, both black and white, accountable to advance the cause of justice."
Noting that many Americans were delighted to be preparing for the inauguration of America's first African-American president, Smiley poked fun at the popular t-shirts that place a parallel between Barack Obama and Martin Luther King, Jr. "Obama is a politician--and a very good one--but King is a prophet," he told the attentive audience. "Tnis is not a post-racial America. The election of Barack Obama is a down payment on the dream, it is NOT the fulfillment of the dream."
Smiley still believes racism to be the most intractable issue issue in America today, even all these years after the March on Washington (1963), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Even in King's time, when large American cities began electing the first black mayors, King's goal was to hold these newly elected leaders accountable to advance the causes of economic, political, and racial injustice. While Smiley is optimistic about Obama, he notes that not once in this year's Presidential debates, was the word "poverty" mentioned.
Using King's words, Smiley encouraged his audience to "step into our greatness." Citing the examples of the 54th Massachusetts, a black regiment that fought in the Civil War, and the Tuskeegee Airmen, who fought in World War II, he encouraged listeners to follow the example of Martin Luther King, Jr., whose actions followed the tradition of deep love for his country.
"The best of Martin is his quintessential example of love," said Smiley. "He loved his country in spite of what it is, not because of what it is. Love is the most powerful and transformative force in the world."
Congratulations to Consuela Ward, director of the University's Multicultural Center, for her work in getting Tavis Smiley to Statesboro. This presentation--and he spoke extemporaneously for nearly two hours--was well worth attending.
Mrs. B
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