Remembering M.L.K. message to Negros REVISED
Every year on Martin Luther King’s birthday I like to listen to his old speeches, and every year I hear something new and profound I hadn’t heard before. I’m not referring to the most popular “I Have a Dream” speech or his final prophetic “Been to the Mountain Top” oration. There are many other speeches that were equally enlightening and prophetic in scope and nature. He left a roadmap to how Negros must lift themselves to first class citizenry with their new freedom.
King was a man who spoke truth to power while also speaking truth to his own people. He recognized the moral flaws and shortcomings of Negros and admonishes us to forever strive to be morally upright and to overcome our taste for complacency and indifference to the cause of obtaining our own freedom.
In a speech delivered at Bennett College in Greensboro N.C. in 1958, he spoke of the inferiority complex and low standards of Negros. “We have to admit that our standards do lag behind, we need to work on that. We have to stop killing ourselves if we are ever to be first class citizens of the world.” “We have to have the high est illegitimacy rates Let us improve or moral standards.” “We don’t have to have a college degree to be mor ally upright,” he admonished. “Let us continue to gain power through wise use of the ballot. The most decisive steps a Negro can take is that walk to the ballot box.” “While it’s true there is strong resistance to voting in the South, but don’t put it all on resistance. In far too many cases Negros are too lazy to go down to register,” says King.
He spoke of Black dollars and why we must use our collective money wisely. “Negros can’t say they don’t have the money because we have a collective annual income of 17 billion dollars a year.” “We spend our money on everything we want.” “We buy some of the finest cars manufactured and have many luxuries. We spend money on all kinds of frivolity that does nothing for the cause of freedom and justice.” “I remember a certain fraternity assembled in a convention and spent over 500 thousand dollars in one week, on liquor.”” That was more than the NAACP collected in one year; that’s a tragedy.” “We have got to use our money to further our cause our freedom.”
He spoke of Moses’ escape to the promise land, where he had to deal with different groups on his journey to freedom. The first was the group that wanted to go back to Pharaoh. They were content with being slaves and accepted it as their lot in life. The second groups were the schoolteachers and civil servants. They were always concerned about job loss. “They wanted freedom, but they didn’t want to face the sacri fices involved in gain ing freedom “said King. “They were the fearful people who used that as their excuse for complacency,” he continued.
In the speech he tells a story of his being at the Atlanta airport and hav ing to use the bathroom and he decided to use the closest White only men’s room. As he was going about his business, a Negro attendant came over to direct him to the Colored restroom: “mind you the bathroom was full of white men and none of them said a word, but it was the Negro who approached me to set me straight.” “I asked him, Brother every time you go to the bathroom you go way over there.” “The attended said, “Yes sir, that’s where we belong.” “At first I was upset but I realized he had come up in a system of segrega tion, and he had come to believe Negros didn’t deserve anything else.”” Segregation will give you a sense of inferiority that many come to except and believe.” “We must over come this. Don’t let any one make you feel you’re inferior. Never become a slave in your mind. Be mentally free.”
He further warned we must develop wise, courageous and sincere leadership, to guide the people to first class citizenship. “We need leaders of integrity who aren’t Uncle Toms and have vision to see the real issues and stand up.” “We need leaders not in love publicity and fame but rather with justice and freedom.” He closed by warning us the non violence and love is the only way Negros will be respected as first class citizens in America.” We need to remember his words and understand what he was trying to tell us in 1958.