Martin Luther King on War
Posted on January 21, 2008
A lot of people have written, this year and many other times, about how even as Dr. King has been elevated to an icon his message and vision have been watered down and passed over by the media. As part of my own tiny effort to combat that tendency, here’s an audio recording of Dr. Kings landmark speech on why he opposed the war in Vietnam.
[youtube b80Bsw0UG-U]
Now, obviously, I’m not a pacifist or a Christian; but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the courage of a man who unfailingly spoke and acted according to his own conscience. So lets take that inspiration for courage and dedication from him this year, remember him and all of the other hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have been murdered for speaking up for justice and equality; and work to finally make his dream – the whole thing, not just the empty cliches we see on television every year – a reality.
Filed Under politrix, race & racism, video | Leave a Comment
Jay Z on Violence, Racism, and Censorship
Posted on December 10, 2007
Jay Z just did a new interview where he focusses on racism in the media and poverty in black communities. Jigga is an interesting character to me in that on the one hand he’s a poster boy for the bling crowd, but at the same time he seems far more willing to speak on serious issues like this then just about anyone else in the mainstream, this isn’t the first time he’s spoken on these issues and it probably won’t be the last. To me that speaks to a certain level of integrity in that – even though he’s obviously in a very different place from someone like me ideologically – he’s got enough respect for himself and the community he comes from that he’s not going to let the spotlight silence him when he wants to speak out on something.
Filed Under hip hop | Leave a Comment
