Hard to know what to think. The first book I’ve read by King, but of course as an American I’ve absorbed a lot of his work through my life. A lot in the book seemed obvious now but surely was much more striking at the time. As I was reading I often felt like I heard his voice. I was interested in his discussions about dealing with racism directly as opposed to dealing with multiracial poverty.

I was pleased that my prior observations of President Johnson were validated. * I also found his observations of historical figures refreshingly frank and real. We spend a lot of time quoting "I have a dream" but do we really read what Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, believed, and preached? Do we really read it? This is interesting to read post-[b:Becoming|38746485|Becoming|Michelle Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528206996l/38746485._SY75_.jpg|60334006] because she grew up in Chicago just after his poignant observations of the city (I think she was born the year after this was published?) and her descriptions add an interesting coda to his work.


Just some notes for myself:

- Reform is not the passing of a law(pg 5)
- Riots, results of (pg 7)
-Responsibility of white people (pg 7)
-Roots of Slavery (pg 40)
- Contributions to history (pg 41)
- Don't teach, by omission, that they are irrelevant(pg 43)
- Isolationism (pg 48)
- Poverty (pg 51)
- Freedom is participation in power- Cicero(pg 54)
- Justice at its best is love correcting... (pg 57)
- Power vs Morality (pg 59)
-on helping (pg 88)
-ALL of chapter 4

*See [b:Leadership: In Turbulent Times|38657386|Leadership In Turbulent Times|Doris Kearns Goodwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531683409l/38657386._SY75_.jpg|60268060]

King wrote this decades ago and yet it’s shockingly relevant today. The most disturbing part of the whole book is that it feels like not much has changed. His thoughts on peaceful demonstrations in the phrase “black power” are interesting. The calls to action, especially calling out white people, are convicting and crucial right now.

“In the days ahead we must not consider it unpatriotic to raise certain basic questions about our national character.”

“Whites, it must frankly be said, are not putting in a similar mass effort to reeducate themselves out of their racial ignorance. It is an aspect of their sense of superiority that the white people of America believe they have so little to learn.”

“Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention. There is no other answer. Constructive social change will bring certain tranquillity; evasions will merely encourage turmoil. Negroes hold only one key to the double lock of peaceful change. The other is in the hands of the white community.” ( )

No idea where all my notes went, but Dr. King cites lots of economic evidence in favor of a Basic Universal (aka Citizen's) Income.

This book should be required reading for all Americans starting in elementary school.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was working for not only Negro civil rights, but for economic rights for all poor people when he was cut down prematurely. I'd heard vague comments about this as a teenager, but since all we ever heard about was his famous 'I have a Dream' speach, I shrugged it off. Not only has reading his book (his last, written in 1967) been an intense eye-opener, but on doing some searching, I find that it is not my imagination that the book was ignored by press and buried by libraries. My own uni. library cannot purchase it because it is out of print, and the public library has it in another city, on the stacks where the public can't see it.

Dr. King forsaw the link between poverty and terrorism before terrorism was recognized as such before riots were given international expression by the global economy:
"Social Justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention." P. 22
"Occasionally in life one develops a conviction so and meaningful that he will stand on... This is what I have found in nonviolence." P. 64

He also cites Dr. Kirtley Mather, ... in "Enough and to Spare" (P. 177)

As one gentleman, who may have ben there at the time, points out, Dr. King is not just what you see on TV. His mantle falls to all of us to pick up...

p6: quotes Hyman Bookbinder economic opportunity statement 29 december 1966 -not that difficult to erradicate poverty in the US if we had the will.

Read, Write, Dream, Teach !

ShiraDest
19 February, 12016 HE
( )

No idea where all my notes went, but Dr. King cites lots of economic evidence in favor of a Basic Universal (aka Citizen's) Income.

This book should be required reading for all Americans starting in elementary school.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was working for not only Negro civil rights, but for economic rights for all poor people when he was cut down prematurely. I'd heard vague comments about this as a teenager, but since all we ever heard about was his famous 'I have a Dream' speach, I shrugged it off. Not only has reading his book (his last, written in 1967) been an intense eye-opener, but on doing some searching, I find that it is not my imagination that the book was ignored by press and buried by libraries. My own uni. library cannot purchase it because it is out of print, and the public library has it in another city, on the stacks where the public can't see it.

Dr. King forsaw the link between poverty and terrorism before terrorism was recognized as such before riots were given international expression by the global economy:
"Social Justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention." P. 22
"Occasionally in life one develops a conviction so and meaningful that he will stand on... This is what I have found in nonviolence." P. 64

He also cites Dr. Kirtley Mather, ... in "Enough and to Spare" (P. 177)

As one gentleman, who may have ben there at the time, points out, Dr. King is not just what you see on TV. His mantle falls to all of us to pick up...

p6: quotes Hyman Bookbinder economic opportunity statement 29 december 1966 -not that difficult to erradicate poverty in the US if we had the will.

Read, Write, Dream, Teach !

ShiraDest
19 February, 12016 HE
( )