Clarion Defender_1968-04 Special Memorial Edition

CLARION DEFENDER WIDOW CARRYING ON The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, widow is doing a wonderful job carrying on in honor of her late husband and his work and she is bearing the strain and bereavement with the utmost courage, and what a tremendous emotional strain it must be! Over the television she gave a short speech herself, and said: "HE GAVE HIS LIFE TO SOLVE THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS IN A CREATIVE RATHER THAN A DESTRUCTIVE WAY." Martin Luther King, Jr., was a truly creative man and if only more people would follow his example what a wonderful world it would be. There are so • many destructive forces in the world today whic~ are destroying our creative people and the destructive people have the upper hand. This trend needs to be reversed or we shall all be annihilated. THE "DREAM" CUT SHORT BY A BULLET Following are excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech Aug_ 28, 1963,climaxing a civil rights march on Washington: "Now is the t ;1.me to make real the promises of democracy. Now is t he t ime to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. "Now is the ttme to life our Nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. "Now is the time to make justice a reality for all God's children. "There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our Nation until the bright day of justice emerges. "And that is something that I must say to my people who stand on the threshhold which leads to the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrong– ful deeds. "Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force ... "We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. "We can never be satisfied ai long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. "We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating 'for whites only. "We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and the Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. "No, we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream ... "Now, I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. "It is . a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'" c • • • • • • Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr., being interviewed by Defender's Editor, Jimmy "Bang-Bang" Walker on her Portland visit for the Freedom Concert, March 10, 1965. ONE MAN'S FAITH IN ADREAM "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. "I have a dream that even the State of Mississippi, a state sweltering with people's injustices, swelter– ing with the heat of oppression, will be trans– formed into an oasis of freedom and justice. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. August 28, 1963 lA\ Pacific Northwest Bell ~ ......... _ ... ,_