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ST. MARTIN, THE MILITANT
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By Mumia Abu-Jamal
#489 Column 1/10/2001
Source: Joe Hine, [log in to unmask]; http://www.MumiaBook.com
- Friday, 19 January 2001 -
One night toward the end of January I settled into bed late, after a
strenuous day. Coretta had already fallen asleep and just as I was about to
doze off the telephone rang. An angry voice said, "Listen, nigger, we've
taken all we want from you; before next week you'll be sorry you ever came
to Montgomery." I hung up, but I couldn't sleep. -- Rev. Martin L. King,
Jr., Stride Toward Freedom (1958)
Three nights after this phone call, King's house was bombed. It is
possible, in this age of consumer- driven commodification, for millions to
know a name, to recognize an image, and still to know next to nothing about
the recognized figure. It has been over 30 years since the assassination of
Dr. King, and in the 3 decades thereafter, few Americans, black or white,
have been so honored, so lionized, or so deeply projected into public
consciousness, as a figure of peace. This would not be so objectionable were
it not for the purposes of that projection.
Much of the projection seems purely commercial, a secular day-off for
millions of workers, to allow them to stimulate the economy by buying stuff
in the King Day Sale. Much of it also seems political, as Rev. King is
raised as a kind of talisman, a symbol of peace meant to keep the natives
calm in times of discontent.
But symbols are funny things. They are sometimes overrun by the rampaging
complexities of reality. Living beings change, develop and grow. And Dr.
King, in his later years (and under pressure from black radicals and
militants on his left) became increasingly disenchanted with society, and of
course, those who ruled the social order.
Black Christian theologian, Dr. James H. Cone, in his excellent Martin &
Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare (Orbis, 1991), draws a compelling
portrait of King's private and public selves, and his growing openness to
radical ideas. Cone writes that Martin's wife, Coretta, who knew him best,
saw him inching closer and closer to the views of Malcolm X. Indeed, Coretta
S. King said as much, in her My Life with Martin Luther King, where she saw
"firm agreement" between the two men on "certain aspects" of Malcolm's
program. She sensed that "at some point the two would have come closer
together and would have been a very strong force in the total struggle for
liberation and self-determination of black people in our society."
This was not to be.
Waves of rebellions in black communities in 1967 shook King, and opened his
eyes to what he called "a system of internal colonialism." In words that
would seem to presage the fiery words of Dr. Huey P. Newton and the Black
Panthers a season later, King observed: "The slum is little more than a
domestic colony which leaves its inhabitants dominated politically,
exploited economically, segregated and humiliated at every turn" (Cone,
p.223).
With these attacks on the economic injustices in America came criticism of
King by the media and their moneyed masters. To his eternal credit, King did
not turn from his vision, and instead heightened his economic critique,
saying, at the SCLC Convention of Aug. 1967:
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. "Who owns this oil?"... "Who owns
the iron ore?"... "Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world
that is two-thirds water?" (Cone, 224).
This is the voice of a man who was being radicalized. Nor were his previous
feelings of confidence and faith in white Americans unchanged. King called
America a "confused," "sick," and "neurotic" nation, telling a group of
blacks in Louisville that "the vast majority of white Americans are racist,"
whether consciously or unconsciously (Cone, p. 233).
In months thereafter, he would severely criticize the Vietnam War, and call
the U.S. the "greatest purveyor of violence in the world today" (Cone,
p.237) at his "Beyond Vietnam" speech at Riverside Church in New York City.
Relatively shortly thereafter, Dr. King was sent to his fathers and from
this world.
As King Day once again passes, let us all remember that a man is more than a
symbol. Let us remember his growing radicalization, for if we have an idea
where he was going, we begin to see why the powers that be, (the rulers, the
FBI, the police, etc.) didn't want him to arrive.
This column may be reprinted and/or distributed by electronic means, but
only for non-commercial use, and only with the inclusion of the following
copyright information:
Text (c) copyright 2001 by Mumia Abu-Jamal. All rights reserved. Reprinted
by permission of the author.
** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, material
appearing in Antifa Info-Bulletin is distributed without charge or profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for
research and educational purposes. For more info see:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Submissions are welcome. **
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Abdoulie A. Jallow
Toll-free number: 1-888-392-4832(Excite2)
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