Monday, January 10, 2011

King's message from 1967 (UPDATE)

Unlike the misguided Utopian claims for education coming from Secretary Duncan and the new reformers, we should heed this charge from Martin Luther King (1967):

"We are likely to find that the problems of housing and education, instead of preceding the elimination of poverty, will themselves be affected if poverty is first abolished."


"I want to say to you as I move to my conclusion, as we talk about 'Where do we go from here,' that we honestly face the fact that the Movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American society. There are forty million poor people here. And one day we must ask the question, "Why are there forty million poor people in America?" And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy. And I'm simply saying that more and more, we've got to begin to ask questions about the whole society. We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's market place. But one day we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. It means that questions must be raised. You see, my friends, when you deal with this,

These are questions that must be asked."


And I recommend this excellent blog from The Huffington Post:

Dr. King and the Achievement Gap

King and Orwell would certainly have something to say about Republicans RENAMING committees. . .