Clarence B Jones: Has Martin Luther King's dream come true?
[Clarence B Jones is scholar in residence at the Martin Luther King Jr Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. He served as speechwriter and counsel to Rev Martin Luther King Jr. His new book, co-authored with Stuart Connelly, is Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech That Transformed a Nation (2011).]
In 1963, I had a contentious meeting with Robert Kennedy. In defending the civil rights achievements of his brother John and the Justice Department during his tenure as attorney general, RFK predicted that, "in 40 years", a negro might be president of the United States. Those of us who worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr never contemplated the possibility of a black president in our lifetimes. Kennedy turned out to be off by only five years.
In 2008, I travelled to France as the guest of SOS Racisme and the mayor of Paris. My invitation was part of the city's celebration of the 60th anniversary of the UN's Declaration of Human Rights and commemoration of the legacy of Dr King, 40 years after his death. One question asked of me, again and again there, was: Does the election of Obama as president of the United States mean that Dr King's dream has been fulfilled?
This is posed as a yes-or-no question, and I find that troubling. Because the situation is one of degrees. The problems of prejudice exist on a continuum. A better question might be: have we even come close?..
Read entire article at Guardian (UK)
In 1963, I had a contentious meeting with Robert Kennedy. In defending the civil rights achievements of his brother John and the Justice Department during his tenure as attorney general, RFK predicted that, "in 40 years", a negro might be president of the United States. Those of us who worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr never contemplated the possibility of a black president in our lifetimes. Kennedy turned out to be off by only five years.
In 2008, I travelled to France as the guest of SOS Racisme and the mayor of Paris. My invitation was part of the city's celebration of the 60th anniversary of the UN's Declaration of Human Rights and commemoration of the legacy of Dr King, 40 years after his death. One question asked of me, again and again there, was: Does the election of Obama as president of the United States mean that Dr King's dream has been fulfilled?
This is posed as a yes-or-no question, and I find that troubling. Because the situation is one of degrees. The problems of prejudice exist on a continuum. A better question might be: have we even come close?..