January 18, 2010
MLK, JFK, RFK
Today we honor Martin Luther King Jr., but I cannot do so without also thanking JFK, RFK, Bob Moses, Diane Nash, Taylor Branch, Rosa Parks, Connie Curry, Roy Wilkins, Walter Williams, the Field Foundation, Thurgood Marshall, SNCC, CORE, James Meredith, Bill Kunstler, Pete Seeger, John Lewis, LBJ, Fannie Lou Hammer ("I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired"), Malcolm X, Emanuel Celler, Ben Zelenko, Joe Rauh, Hubert H. Humphrey, lots of southern judges, and thousands of students who risked their lives in pursuing social justice. They marched, sang, sat-in, waded-in, and voted.
Some broke unjust laws and willingly went to jail, while others wrote new laws and enforced them. They practiced non-violence, they paved the way, they fought the good fight. Sure would have been nice had they all been in Grant Park the night Obama won the nomination. As King said in his last speech in Memphis, "I may not get there with you--I have seen the promised land."
In short, they made this day possible.
It is sad to think of our losses, but they motivate us to finish the job. We cannot stop now.
Tomorrow: The Death and Life of American Journalism, the latest book from FightingBob.com contributing editors John Nichols and Bob McChesney, is released. (Hint: Watch the latest edition of Now on PBS today to find out more.)
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