In the middle of his speeches he always painted a picture of the world as he wanted it to be. A world where people would be judged by their character and actions and not by the color of their skin. His I Have A Dream speech he preached over and over again, so often that I was not that impressed with it when he gave it in Washington. I had heard it so many times before.
The speeches who moved me the most was his Eulogy for the Martyred Children on September of 1963. A black church had been attacked and four little girls had been killed. He spoke of the beauty of the girls and their innocence and he gave his greatest rebuke to his enemies, "We pray for the souls of our sick white brothers" who took their lives.
But the speech that touched me the most was the one given on the steps of the capital in Montgomery, Alabama, after the completion of the Selma to Montgomery March on March 25 in 1965. This was the march that horrified America as TV cameras showed police beating helpless children with batons, police dogs attacking unarmed civilians, and white people with hate-filled faces pelting the marchers with rocks and stones. I had followed the march and I wanted him to stop. They were going to kill him! It was beyond reason to continue. But he did not stop.
So much of America felt ashamed of itself that all eyes were on this Speaker of Truth as he stood on the capitol steps in Alabama. His shirt was soaked with sweat. You could feel his exhaustion and weariness as he got up to speak wiping his brow with a handkerchief. As usual, he needed no notes. What did he say about the evil that had attacked them? After a few paragraphs talking about the difficulties of the journey and thanking those who had supported them, he threw this in.
"Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate the white man,
but to win his friendship and understanding. We must come to see that the end
we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its
conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man.
That will be the day of man as man."
There was applause and his eyes suddenly lit up and he spoke these gentle, golden words of encouragement. They rang out almost like a chant, like a song across the top of the crowd, into the TV cameras, into the homes and into the hearts of all that listened. I remember it today as if it were yesterday. His How Long? Not Long speech. What a wordmaster. He's right up there with Lincoln.
"I know you are asking today, how long will it take? Somebody's asking, how long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne? Somebody's asking, when will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men? Somebody's asking, when will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal bosom of this lonely night, plucked from weary souls with chains of fear and the manacles of death? How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it?
"I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because 'truth crushed to earth will rise again.' How long? Not long, because 'no lie can live forever.' How long? Not long because 'you shall reap what you sow.' How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
We all know what happened next. He was murdered but his revolution lived on, still lives on today with many a battle for progressive values still to be won. We need not give in to doom and gloom and moan that our beloved country is beyond repair. Look at the odds he faced. Look at the ugly events he lived through and still he did not give in to despair. His continued optimism should be an inspiration to all of us to keep plugging away for our ideals, no matter how small our contribution might be. Because, as he said so eloquently: "The arc of the moral universe is long but it always bends toward justice."
And he did it all with the right attitude and reframing.
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