Martin Luther King III joins Equal Time to talk with Mary C. Curtis about his father’s “I have a dream” speech, voting rights today and personal memories of his father. Fifty-eight years after his father’s iconic words, MLK III joins John Lewis’ family and others to galvanize the nation to, once again, ensure voting rights for all Americans.
POLITICAL WRAP: Presidential Candidates Attend “King Day at the Dome” in SC
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – On Monday, hundreds are expected to gather on the South Carolina State House steps for the annual “King Day at the Dome.”
Six of the remaining 12 democratic presidential candidates are expected to attend the event.
That includes Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who re-arranged his schedule to attend, after facing criticism for initially saying he would attend an MLK event in South Bend, Indiana instead.
The South Carolina event is seen as a “must-stop” for democratic presidential candidates, hoping to compete in the Palmetto State.
Jan192020
Does the ‘content of their character’ still matter in the 2020 race?
OPINION — “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” It might be the only quote by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that many Americans can recite by heart.
There is good reason for that, as political partisans have twisted a 1963 speech to suit their 2019 conservative agendas, despite the fact that those who now embrace him as one of their own would be horrified by King’s belief in extensive change in the system.
That quote can mean whatever you want it to, dressed up as approval of an American hero whose luster has only grown as his often revolutionary work fades into memory. That short snippet expresses a sentiment judged far more benign than others from that same speech, as when the Nobel Peace Prize winner said: “We’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”
Apr042019
Opinion: Taking the Lessons of the Holy Season and MLK — but Not to Heart
Belief in the separation of church and state has turned out to be situational, depending on what issue you want the government to highlight or ignore — abortion rights or aid to the poor, criminal justice reform or same-sex marriage — and which faith you favor.
This is a time of year that challenges that not-so-bright line, no matter what side you fall on, when the occasional (or non) worshipper nevertheless is drawn by devotion, guilt or nostalgia to traditions that otherwise are pushed aside.
And the lessons of the season for those of any or no faith can be worthwhile.
Apr052018
50 Years After MLK’s Death
CHARLOTTE, NC — His message of justice and equality and economic justice still resonates, though even the optimistic realize we have not yet realized Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. In Charlotte and around the country and the world, what are all of us doing to move forward and what needs to be done?
Apr042018
