#MLK

Photos during the Civil Rights movement were in Black and White because they were cheaper and because News Papers were in black and white (most of the people taking pictures were taking them to publish them).

So here's some color photos of Martin Luther King to remind everyone that this was recent. This is recent history. This is recent memory for a lot of people. People are alive today that got to witness MLK's speeches.

-fae

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from @/pslnational

on Martin Luther King Jr. day, here's a reminder of his words penned from the interior of a Birmingham, Alabama jail in 1963:

“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the White moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice.”

while liberals and self-proclaimed moderates will flock to social media today to post their MLK quotes and laud the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it's important to keep in mind that Dr. King wasn't always popular with the average american. in the 1960s, public opinion was mixed until around 1966 when his popularity fell off a cliff.

and despite his starkly positive posthumous approval rating, one could argue that Dr. King would not be nearly as popular today if he was still among the living.

King was a strong critic of the Vietnam War and a fierce advocate for labor rights. he spent time in jail, was being followed by the FBI, was charged with having communist sympathies despite his outspoken criticism of the communist party, and was adamantly opposed to poverty and wealth disparity - he actually believed in a guaranteed income. in the modern world, he would not be praised for holding these views.

we do a disservice to Dr. King's legacy and all that he worked for when we choose to celebrate a sanitized version of him that is full of quotes taken out of context and nebulous ideals about peace and harmony; yes, he supported nonviolence when possible. however, as with everyone, his views and convictions changed and evolved with time. his notions about what constituted "resistance" were complex, disruptive, and often culminated in violence by those on opposing sides. furthermore, Dr. King was a staunch opponent of capitalism and the type of society that it creates.

when we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day, we celebrate the ideals that he championed. that includes the views that many people find scary and "radical" in today's world.

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Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (1963)

Your annual reminder that Martin Luther King Jr. was a revolutionary who made the foundational case for reparations and openly spoke about the US needing to stop funding wars, genocide and the exploitation of poor Black and Brown people's labor and right to exist. If he weren't assassinated by the US government, he would have demanded an end to the US funded arming of Israel and called for an immediate ceasefire.

"American power should be “harnessed to the service of peace and human beings, not an inhumane power [unleashed] against defenseless people" (King, 25 February 1967).

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"You turn on your television and the news comes on and you see us marching and peaceful, you see the peaceful civil disobedience, and you see the dogs and see the fire hoses, and we all know they cannot destroy us because we are there in the 23rd Century.'"

Remembering this day that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Trekkie and asked Nichelle Nichols to stay on Star Trek! 🙏🏿

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Memphis’ National Civil Rights Museum recreated Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel. It appears just as it looked in 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

(via Never forget that Martin Luther King Jr was killed when he was supporting a worker strike & encouraging the city of Memphis to go on a general strike! Labor rights are civil rights! : WorkReform)