I remember something Dr. Cornel West said last year about MLK during an appearance on The Tavis Smiley Show. He said that Dr. King's legacy has become the victim of a type of "santa clausification".

Here's what he said:

West: I mean, I think it's very important because you see a lot of chit-chat about Martin every year and Martin has been so domesticated and tamed and defamed, you know, what we call the Santa Clausification of the brother.

Tavis: Wait a minute. Hold the phone, hold the phone. The Santa Clausification of Dr. King, which means what, Dr. West?

West: He just becomes a nice little old man with a smile with toys in his bag, not a threat to anybody, as if his fundamental commitment to unconditional love and unarmed truth does not bring to bear certain kinds of pressure to a status quo. So the status quo feels so comfortable as though it's a convenient thing to do rather than acknowledge him as to what he was, what the FBI said, "The most dangerous man in America." Why? Because of his fundamental commitment to love and to justice and trying to keep track of the humanity of each and every one of us.

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That statement has stuck with me all year long and as I thought about it, I think it's true. Dr. King has been reduced to this harmless, helpless, non-violent little man.

My friend and I begin to read Dr. King's speeches in their entirety and it's amazing how we(blacks)have allowed his words to be reduced to cute "cliches". For instance, I never knew that in his famous "Mountain Top" speech, Dr. King talks about economic development, and supporting black businesses, and taking money out of white banks and putting it in black-owned banks. We NEVER hear that part of the speech. Only the emotional side, not the part that makes us THINK!

I look at MLK day a lot differently now. I definitely think he should be honored, but sometimes I wonder, "What are we honoring exactly"?

Sorry for the long post.

It's the non-violence part that American society lacked. During my speech therapy in 8th and 9th grade (horrible lisp), we had to read well-known speeches and several of his were included so I was aware of it. Parents ultimately make the decision on how to address it but even the common G-rated version of the civil rights movement fails to mention his power. He was more threatening to the status quo than harmful, hence the "most dangerous man in America" B.S. when really, I view him as a threat to white supremacy.

"Dr. King talks about economic development, and supporting black businesses, and taking money out of white banks and putting it in black-owned banks. We NEVER hear that part of the speech."

Of course not. They don't want us to constantly hear the parts of his speeches that could influence us (blacks) to better ourselves financially and emotionally. It's so convenient how those parts always get omitted.
Black people doing well? Nonsense! ~heavy sarcasm~

daria,

That's my major! Good old speech therapy.

I made a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day video that I think EVERYONE will enjoy. It’s really short, and should put a smile on your face.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AtugYg42mmc

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day everybody

David Spates

http://www.youtube.com/davidspates

what annoys me is what is forgotten about King,

the fact that he was funded by communist groups, and supported communism (which is why the FBI called him the most dangerous man in America)

if you continue to read his speeches you will discover that yes King is talking about distributing white money to black people, but in this he talks about bring about 'economic socalism' - which sounds a lot like normal socialism to me, which is communism

also King is praised as being a model American, even though he had extra-marital affairs,
King's best friend Rev. Abernathy in his autobiography on King (called 'When the walls came tumbling down') talked about how King sent him out with the Civil Rights money to get Prositutes for King!

I respect King for what he did and what he helped bring about, because it was about bloody time that segregation was ended and civil rights brought in, but I hate when people make him out to be this perfect unflawed individual just like every other human,
and whenever you try and say anything negative about him everyone calls you racist or facist

I also get annoyed that all the credit for the civil rights movement is given to one man when it was a large number of black people coming together united, now the SCLC (King's group) weren't the only group organing protest marches or sit-in, the SCLC would usually only come along after these groups had started it and then receive all the credit