ISU Reflects on King's Impact

Grace Barbic

Daily Vidette

Nothing compares to checking the calendar and realizing a three-day weekend is approaching. It is one extra day to sleep in, put off homework and avoid responsibilities before snapping back to reality and starting another busy week full of school and work.

Monday is a national holiday honoring not only the life and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr., but everything that he stood for. It is a day dedicated to promoting the equality of all people regardless of race, ethnicity, culture or background, yet people fail to acknowledge that this day is actually dedicated to his service. 

Although that idea is what this day was intended to represent, it was not always seen that way. In fact, it was not until 2000 that all 50 states began to officially observe the third Monday in January as “Martin Luther King Jr. Day.” 

Shortly after King’s death, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968. A few days after that, a bill was introduced to make MLK’s birthday a national holiday. It took 15 years for the bill to be signed into a law. Many believe this was because of the hatred and racism that plagues our country. 

This day is not only national holiday, but it is the only national holiday that is observed as a national day of service. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, MLK Day of Service is intended to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems and move us closer to King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.” 

For some, it may just be another day off of work, but for Illinois State’s Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, it is a day on. Graduate assistant for community service projects Paige Buschman thinks that this day is an opportunity for America to show that leadership and change can come in the form of something other than political action in the Senate and Congress, it can come from everyday people. 

“MLK was not particularly different than any one of us. I think he was just compelled to do something because he saw hate and injustice in the world and I think that’s just something everyone can learn from. The fact that we have a day off to, I think, reflect on that is so important,” Buschman said. 

She believes that this should be a day of learning and reflecting on how to move forward around issues of injustice in our country and that everyone should be thinking about non-violence, political action and engagement and civic engagement.

“That is very much at the core of what we do here at the center, but I think it’s something that everyone can benefit from,” Buschman continued. 

This year the center will be honoring this day of service by sorting through donations to find items to be sold at Home Sweet Home Ministries’ thrift store, Mission Mart. Home Sweet Home Ministries is a local, non-profit organization that provides shelter, rehousing and food services, among other things, to those in need in the Bloomington-Normal community. 

Along with their service, those involved will be reflecting on the nature of their work because of the importance of this day. There will also be a presentation to connect to MLK’s mission. The center’s major objective is always to help students understand how to make a change through service. 

The Office of the President, University Housing, the student chapter of the NAACP and the Association of Residence Halls will host a cultural dinner on Jan. 25 honoring MLK and featuring Michael Eric Dyson. Assistant Director of Media Relations Rachel Hatch believes that this event blends very well with the idea of celebrating cultures that are part of the university experience.

What better way to celebrate a man who was dedicated to his community and sacrificed his ability to make a profit than to give back to the community and offer service? Buschman also believes that in order to see social change, society needs to recognize that it is going to be through volunteerism, the giving of time and commitment to something that is not just about one’s job.

“Services benefit everybody. It benefits people in the community and you as a person. I think that was at the center of MLK’s mission as well. I think that is partially why it was changed to a day of service rather than just being a day off where people don’t come into work and don’t think more about it. The idea is you should be taking this time to do something that you might not otherwise be able to do,” Buschman said.

Although having a day off can be enticing, it is important to remember the sacrifice and struggle that MLK and millions of others faced to make a change. Instead of using this holiday as a day to relax and unwind, one may consider the significance of it and how everyone can play a part in making a difference by offering something that many people take for granted: time.

“I think that Martin Luther King’s ideals are really basic to the core values at ISU. The ideas of respect, diversity, inclusion, collaboration, these are all things that Dr. King pushed for. His life embodies that drive for civil rights and I think that it fits very well with ISU to celebrate that,” Hatch said.

MLK Luncheon Speaker Urges Citians to 'Turn Righteous Anger Into Action'

 Julia Evelsizer

The Pantagraph

Four passionate trailblazers were recognized Saturday at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. awards luncheon.

The event at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Normal honored two teens and two adults from the Twin Cities while focusing on the need to stand up to injustice and spur change through action.

Appellate Justice James A. Knecht, 1996 winner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Award, spoke to a crowd of hundreds before the winners were introduced.

“Dr. King said the hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict. We’re not here today to be neutral. We are here to turn righteous anger into action,” said Knecht.

He encouraged attendees to “cast aside fear and vote for hope.”

“Speak out, march, practice compassion and decency, revere justice and vote,” said Knecht. “Vote with your collective voices. Vote with your feet as you march with the drumbeat of social change. Fill the ballot box with your hopes and dreams of what America can be.”

Mayors Chris Koos of Normal and Tari Renner of Bloomington recognized the award recipients.

Jordyn Blythe (Photo by Lewis Marien/The Pantagraph)

Winners of the youth “I Have a Dream Award” were University High School senior Jordyn Blythe of Bloomington and Normal Community West High School senior Xavier Higgins of Normal.

Blythe cofounded Serve Plus One, an organization providing service activities and reflection for teens. She also volunteers at several local organizations and cofounded U High’s Black Student Union.

“To all of the youth in the room,” she said, “it is our time now. Don’t be passive. You are never too young to serve. Work to make our world better now because this is what we inherit. Be compassionate and be loving.”

At Normal West, Higgins leads the Best Buddies program to foster friendships with students with physical and intellectual disabilities. He’s also involved in the freshman mentoring program.

“I plan to major in college in computer science and bring technology to people who can’t easily access it so they can work to excel themselves in their own homes,” said Higgins.

Adult recipients were Andre Hursey of Normal and the late Lorenzo Marshall of Bloomington.

Hursey volunteers with several children’s groups in the community and recently founded the Jule Foundation, an organization that offers financial literacy, tutoring and motivational speaking opportunities for youth.

“I want to thank my mother, Gloria, for planting that seed early on and truly showing me the way of serving others in our community,” said Hursey.

Elaine Marshall of Bloomington accepted the award on behalf of her husband who passed away in August.

Lorenzo Marshall volunteered in the Twin Cities and chaired the Juneteenth celebration in Bloomington. Elaine Marshall said her husband would have been humbled to be recognized.

“I can personally attest to the energy and time Lorenzo spent helping mentor others to be their best,” said Elaine Marshall. “Reflecting back on the memories we had in the 42 years we were together really helps the healing process. This award today is something I can add to the reflection of those memories.”

Housing Inequities Still Plague Minority Communities

Judith Valente

WGLT

The president of the Illinois chapter of the NAACP says that more than 50 years after the federal Fair Housing Act was enacted, African-Americans still face housing discrimination, predatory mortgage lending practices, and other obstacles to moving into racially diverse and affluent neighborhoods.

Speaking on GLT's Sound Ideas, Teresa Haley said African-Americans are more likely to be charged higher mortgage interest rates and higher fees for mortgage insurance as well as for credit checks.

"They are finding other ways to disguise discrimination," she said.

Haley was this year's keynote speaker at the annual Martin Luther King Day Teach-In at Illinois Wesleyan University, sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

The teach-in began with a panel discussion of housing justice.

Home ownership for African-Americans lags about 30 percent behind that of whites, according to a 2016 Harvard University study.

Black homeowners have not rebounded as quickly as whites from the 2008-2009 mortgage crisis that led to a record number of foreclosures in minority communities, the study found.

Haley blamed the decline in black home ownership on "predatory lending, people losing their jobs, foreclosures, and people doing reverse mortgages” to supplement their income needs, only to lose their homes in the long run.

She said low-income renters also face significant challenges.

Many who receive Section 8 housing vouchers are forced to live in substandard housing while landlords inflate rental prices in order to collect more from the federal government, Haley said. The cost of rent for Section 8 housing is split between the tenant and the government.

Renters are also vulnerable, she said.

“One of the challenges renters have, especially with Section 8 (federal housing vouchers), is finding quality housing. A lot of the places they place them in aren’t worth seeing.”

According to a 2017 Illinois State University/Stevenson Center study conducted for Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal, higher community "social vulnerability" levels are often correlated with racial diversity, old age, limited transportation, low-quality housing, and population density. The study noted public transportation, housing, and health disparities based on East or Westside residence.

Further, ISU researchers found discrimination plays out in health care, housing, employment, and policing. One study participant explained, "microaggressions affect people in the workplace and [their] overall happiness." Pertaining to housing, another said, "There are issues with housing/landlords, a lot of it can be discrimination based on economic [status], color, or orientation."

GLT investigated the state of low-income rental housing in Bloomington-Normal in a September 2017 series called Landlord v. Tenant. That series found an aging, increasingly dilapidated stock of housing in both cities.

The series also chronicled instances of landlords who repeatedly failed to make urgent repairs despite repeated pleas from tenants. Bloomington and Normal have only two housing inspectors each to monitor nearly 20,000 rental units.

Haley said many low-income tenants are forced to live in housing that “isn’t well-built or well-maintained. But the landlord at the first of the month, they’re going to get their money regardless."

There are "a lot of slum landlords out there trying to get rich off the backs of poor people," she added.

Haley said renters should document problems they have with their housing that landlords won’t address.

She recommended they report these issues to their City Council representatives, their local chapter of the NAACP and even put the information out on Facebook and other social media.

She said tenants should not withhold rent to protest living conditions because landlords can immediately file for eviction.

Haley called for stricter building codes and increased rental housing inspections.

“This is a statewide and nationwide problem,” she said of housing inequality.

IWU Speaker: King Would Be Disappointed By Campus

Derek Beigh

The Pantagraph

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. might be disappointed in the Bloomington university he visited twice if he were to see it today, a faculty member said Monday.

"King visited Illinois Wesleyan (University) in 1961 and 1966, and you'd be hard-pressed not to hear about this during MLK Day. ... Why do we brag about this, as an institution?" said Nicole Brown, a visiting professor in sociology. "That doesn't make any of these institutions any less anti-black. ... This institution is not that much ideologically different than it was when Dr. King was here."

Brown, a black woman, shared her perspective on race relations and feminism during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day teach-In in recognition of the holiday honoring the civil rights leader's birthday.

The campus also was the setting for the 26th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday Gospel Festival at Presser Hall. More than a dozen groups performed music, and several performers spoke about race relations, religion and unity.

"God has blessed this program to get where it is now," said Barbara Sims-Malone, daughter of festival co-founders Corine Sims and the Rev. James Sims, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Streator, both deceased.

Yvonne Jones said the event was a celebration of their legacy and King's.

"Remember (King's) legacy of giving back," she said. "Don't forget someday to give back to others."

At the teach-in, Brown focused on a few common "white lies," including to "conflate proximity with commitment" regarding black people and other minorities.

"Academic institutions want black faces sitting in their seats, but not at their podiums. We want black feminism in our course catalogs, but not black women in our tenure lines. Detect the lie," she said. "There's no substantive investment. ... Imagine engaging institutions that actually love and appreciate black women instead of just trying to be in proximity to us."

Brown spoke to an audience of about 75 at Hansen Student Center about her "combating anti-blackness initiative" and why black people need to be encouraging but also combative about racism. Round-table discussions followed Brown's address.

She criticized the Women's March planned for Saturday on Washington, D.C., for not initially including women of color and movements like Black Lives Matter for focusing mostly on wrongs committed against men.

"Without frames that allow us to see all of a particular group ... we run the risk of misunderstanding, misremembering, misinterpreting, misdirecting," Brown said. "Black women slip through our consciousness. ... We are having a grand failure of imagination."

She said this is an especially important time for Americans to expand narrow perspectives that might keep them from processing new information.

"Dr. King once said that white people would rather destroy democracy than have equality with black people. Now look at where we find ourselves today, on the eve of this presidential inauguration," she said.

"Most white folks are still struggling to understand that their liberation is tied to combating anti-blackness and specifically anti-blackness against women and girls."

Brown added, "We can encourage each other by being honest with each other."

"As the saying goes, no one rain drop blames itself for the flood," she said. "We must let go of this idea that humanity is contingent. My humanity is not contingent on my race or gender or sex or religion or sexual orientation or ability or citizenship or size or occupation."

Brown spoke after Barbara Smith, a black feminist and activist for more than 40 years who helped originate the term "identity politics."

"I don't think being nice should ever get in the way of fighting for justice," she said in response to an audience question after her address.

MLK Luncheon Speaker: U.S. Not Addressing Public Ills

Ryan Denham

WGLT

At a time when government fails to address the big problems — gun violence, racial injustice, economic inequality — the contributions of individual difference-makers are even more worthy of recognition.

That’s one of the messages Judge James Knecht will deliver Jan. 20 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Luncheon. The 42nd annual event will honor four MLK award recipients, chosen by the Normal and Bloomington Human Relations Commissions, for their efforts to break down barriers in the community. 

Knecht, who’s been a judge 42 years, said our Trump’s-latest-tweet news cycle is allowing the government to break its promises, big and small. That plays out in places like Puerto Rico, he said, where about half of residents still don’t have power after a September hurricane.

“We’re not addressing the ills of society that government has a responsibility to address,” said Knecht, who’s been on the Fourth District Appellate Court since 1986. “And that bothers me a great deal. Those kinds of things are important, and the people that get recognized at the MLK luncheon, and those in the audience, those are the people who are addressing these kinds of issues.” 

Knecht, a Lincoln native and Illinois State University graduate, is a past MLK award-winner himself. Outside the courtroom, his lengthy record of community service includes time with the Beyond the Books Educational Foundation, the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council, and the National Advisory Board of the Corporate Alliance To End Partner Violence.

Knecht’s career is full of moments where empathy stemmed from deliberate action, not just emotion. When he was elected to the Appellate Court (with less daily human interaction than a trial court), he intentionally chose a Bloomington office (with his wife’s encouragement) located near a Planned Parenthood clinic. That put him face-to-face every day with people facing difficult, life-changing events. It’s kept him grounded, Knecht said.

So did his early-career work for the Illinois Department of Mental Health, before he became a judge. He worked with kids at the Lincoln State School (later called the Lincoln Developmental Center), including many black youths from Cook County whose poverty, lack of schooling, and meager opportunities relocated them “hundreds of miles away from home.” He organized sports (therapeutic recreation) for them.

“I think I learned a lot about empathy and compassion and some of the ills of society that I believed I could help correct,” Knecht said. “So when I saw those human problems in the courtroom, I wasn’t shocked. I wasn’t put off. I had the ability not to be depressed by it, or take it home with me. And I always tried to treat each case like it was the most important there was, because it was the most important for the people before me.”

Knecht is still working on his remarks for the Jan. 20 luncheon. In light of world events, he’s been thinking about a lot about a quote attributed to King: “The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict."

"This is a time of great moral conflict," Knecht said.

Knecht, an elected Republican, said he’s troubled by President Donald Trump’s “petty, vengeful, vindictive” demeanor in contrast with the respected symbol of the presidency. Knecht said he tries to view politics through the perspective of history. We’ve survived tumultuous episodes like McCarthyism and Japanese internment camps, even if they’ve stained us for decades after, he said.

“As long there’s no nuclear button pushed, I’m confident that the republic will survive, and we’ll be here as a society long after someone else is in the White House,” Knecht said. “I trust government and the art of politics, but as with everything else, it depends on who’s there. Who are the humans that are engaging in the process to help govern us in a way that benefits us all and makes us better and stronger than we were yesterday?”

Tickets for the Jan. 20 MLK luncheon are still available. Here are the 2018 award recipients:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/martin-luther-king-jr-awards-luncheon-tickets-41145584551?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=escb&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing

Jordyn Blythe, University High School
“I Have a Dream” Award

Blythe, of Bloomington, serves as student body president and participates in band, theater, choir, and the award-winning speech team. She helped found the Black Student Union, where she works with others to raise awareness regarding social justice issues. Outside of the classroom Jordyn enjoys working with Jack and Jill of America, volunteering with Home Sweet Home Ministries, Home of Hope, and Serve Plus One, a nonprofit she helped found.

Xavier Higgins, Normal Community West High School
“I Have a Dream” Award

Higgins, of Normal, has proven himself to be a dedicated student and athlete, his commitment to serving others is exceptional. Xavier has complimented his education with numerous volunteer and leadership experiences, dedicating time to the Best Buddies Program, Not In Our School Club, and Freshman Mentoring program. 

Lorenzo Marshall (posthumously)
Adult Human Relations Award

An active volunteer in numerous professional and community organizations, Marshall positively impacted many lives in our community. For years, he coordinated the annual Juneteenth celebrations, working tirelessly to bring the community together in observance of a day commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.

At State Farm Insurance, where he was employed for 40 years, he took pride in the mission of the African American Forum Employee Resource Group. His passion for educating, mentoring, and helping everyone feel welcome touched many lives.

Andre Hursey
Adult Human Relations Award

Hursey, of Normal, has taken it upon himself to be a positive mentor and serve those in need. For years he has volunteered and assisted many organizations including the Boys and Girls Club and the Western Avenue Community Center.

He’s also a familiar face at Bloomington Junior High School and Normal Community West High School where he regularly volunteers. Earlier this year he established the Jule Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is helping children reach their potential in and out of the classroom.

MLK Chess Players Learn Keys To Human Teamwork

Kevin Barlow

The Pantagraph

Students playing at the Martin Luther King Scholastic Chess Tournament spoke about having fun and learning winning strategies, but the lessons from the event are far deeper for founder Garrett Scott.

“I love chess. I think it’s very enjoyable and a good way for young people to train their mind,” said Scott as about 350 students from across the state played Monday in the Brown Ballroom at Illinois State University’s Bone Student Center.

“But, secondly, Dr. Martin Luther King had a special place in my heart. He let us all know that the world is a family. We’re human beings and all of us deserve the respect of one another,” said the retired speech pathologist for Bloomington District 87 schools.

On Aug. 28, 1963, Scott was in the crowd in Washington, D.C., when King made his “I Have A Dream” speech. Scott said he remembers vowing to live his life to mirror King's call for peaceful change and mutual respect.

“But six hours later, I was in Maryland with a group of people,” he added. “We walked into a restaurant and were told we couldn’t eat there because we had black people with us.

"I was crushed. I was angry. I wanted to fight. But Dr. King’s message was clear: He said that you don’t change people by fighting. You change by working together."

Scott, who served 18 years on the Normal City Council, noted that in today's political and social climate, "That’s going to be something that we are going to have to remember over the next few years.”

Scott advised players at the MLK Scholastic Chess Tournament, which he founded about 30 years ago, to judge each other by their character, not the color of their skin. Chess, he said, can play a big part in helping to develop lifelong friendships.

Among the players in kindergarten through eighth grade was Haley Seiders, a 9-year-old from Northpoint Elementary School, Bloomington.

“I love chess and all of the different moves you can make,” she said. “It’s fun. It’s hard, but it’s fun.”

Haley won her first match, against Payton Harmon, 7, a student at Prairieland Elementary School in Normal.

“I still had fun, even though I lost,” Payton said.

Daniel Espinosa, 8, a student at Cedar Ridge Elementary School, Bloomington, said he has been playing chess for about three years and loves the competition and the strategy.

“I like trying to think of different moves and different ways to win,” he said. “Chess makes you think and it’s a fun way to learn something.”

Areas Colleges Celebrate King's Heritage Through January 26

The Pantagraph

A teach-in featuring the head of the Illinois NAACP, a breakfast to raise money for minority student scholarships, and a dinner with a former U.S. attorney general are among ways colleges and universities are commemorating the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights icon whose birthday was celebrated today.

Illinois Wesleyan

“The Evolution of Housing Equity as a Civil Right” will be the theme of the annual MLK teach-in at Illinois Wesleyan University. The free teach-in was from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday in the Hansen Student Center, 300 E. Beecher St., Bloomington.

Teresa Haley, in her third year as president of the Illinois NAACP, was the keynote speaker. She addressed Illinois NAACP initiatives and King's work with housing justice.

McLean County YWCA's Jennifer Carrillo and NIOTBN's Archana Shekara and Camille Taylor participated in IWU's teach-in.

The teach-in included a discussion by housing justice advocates Daniel Sherrod, director of public housing with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Lindsey Haines, vice president of real estate development at Full Circle Communities, a nonprofit organization working to expand access to quality affordable housing. Sherrod and Haines are IWU alumni.

Judy Valente of WGLT radio hosted a panel discussion by local and regional fair housing activists. Valente recently produced a four-part series exploring ongoing issues related to fair housing and discrimination in the Twin City area.

In addition, the 28th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday Gospel Festival is taking place from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Westbrook Auditorium in IWU's Presser Hall, 1210 Park St.

Presented by IWU and the United Community Gospel Singers of Bloomington-Normal, the festival will include choirs, praise dance and a puppet ministry.

Lincoln College

Lincoln College conducted its annual Joyce Kinzie/Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast on Monday in the Davidson-Sheffer Gymnasium. Kathryn Harris, known as the “first lady of history,” was keynote speaker. Harris, who retired in 2015 from the Illinois State Historical Library, is known for her portrayal of historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Keckley and Jarena Lee.

The Second Baptist Youth Choir and the Lincoln College Chorale provided musical entertainment.

Proceeds go to the Martin Luther King Jr. Minority Student Scholarship, which assists Logan County minority students attending Lincoln College. The scholarship was co-founded by the Rev. Glenn Shelton and Lincoln businesswoman Joyce Kinzie, who died in 2010.

Illinois State

Loretta Lynch

Loretta Lynch, who served as attorney general during the Obama administration from April 27, 2015, to Jan. 20, 2017, will be keynote speaker at Illinois State University's annual Martin Luther King Cultural Dinner on Jan. 26.

During her nearly 21 months in the post, the former federal prosecutor concentrated on improving police-community relations, transgender rights, and criminal justice reform.

From her national community policing tour to help improve the relationship between local law enforcement and communities they serve, to transgender rights, to her bold stances on criminal justice reform, former U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch epitomizes the Obama administration’s end-of-tenure posture of not shying away from tough issues, offering audiences unique and powerful insights on civil rights, 21st century policing, and criminal justice reform.

President Obama announced his intention to nominate Lynch as Attorney General on November 8, 2014 and she was sworn in as the 83rd Attorney General of the United States, and the first African American female AG, on April 27, 2015. She served until 2017.

This event is presented by the ISU Office of the President, Illinois State University Housing Services, and the ISU Student Chapter of NAACP.

The Letter: Litmus Test for '60s Clergy, Inspiration for B/N Leaders

The Letter from Birmingham Jail, also known as the Letter from Birmingham City Jail and The Negro Is Your Brother, was an open letter written on April 16, 1963, by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The letter defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. It says that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take direct action rather than waiting potentially forever for justice to come through the courts.

Responding to being referred to as an "outsider," King writes, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

The letter, written during the 1963 Birmingham campaign became an important text for the American Civil Rights Movement. The Birmingham campaign began on April 3, with coordinated marches and sit-ins against racism and racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. The nonviolent campaign was coordinated by the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) and King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

On April 10, Circuit Judge W. A. Jenkins issued a blanket injunction against "parading, demonstrating, boycotting, trespassing and picketing." Leaders of the campaign announced they would disobey the ruling. On April 12, King was roughly arrested with SCLC activist Ralph Abernathy, ACMHR and SCLC official Fred Shuttlesworth and other marchers, while thousands of African Americans dressed for Good Friday looked on.

King was met with unusually harsh conditions in the Birmingham jail. An ally smuggled in a newspaper from April 12, which contained "A Call for Unity" -- a statement made by eight white Alabama clergymen against King and his methods. The letter provoked King, and he began to write a response on the newspaper itself. King writes in Why We Can't Wait: "Begun on the margins of the newspaper in which the statement appeared while I was in jail, the letter was continued on scraps of writing paper supplied by a friendly black trusty, and concluded on a pad my attorneys were eventually permitted to leave me."

The letter responded to several criticisms made by the "A Call for Unity" clergymen, who agreed that social injustices existed but argued that the battle against racial segregation should be fought solely in the courts, not the streets. As a minister, King responded to these criticisms on religious grounds. As an activist challenging an entrenched social system, he argued on legal, political, and historical grounds. As an African American, he spoke of the country's oppression of black people, including himself. As an orator, he used many persuasive techniques to reach the hearts and minds of his audience. Altogether, King's letter was a powerful defense of the motivations, tactics, and goals of the Birmingham campaign and the Civil Rights Movement more generally.

King began the letter by responding to the criticism that he and his fellow activists were "outsiders" causing trouble in the streets of Birmingham. To this, King referred to his responsibility as the leader of the SCLC, which had numerous affiliated organizations throughout the South. "I was invited" by our Birmingham affiliate "because injustice is here," in what is probably the most racially divided city in the country, with its brutal police, unjust courts, and many "unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches." Referring to his belief that all communities and states were interrelated, King wrote, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly… Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."

King also warned that if white people successfully rejected his nonviolent activists as rabble-rousing outside agitators, this could encourage millions of African Americans to "seek solace and security in black nationalist ideologies, a development that will lead inevitably to a frightening racial nightmare."

The clergymen also disapproved of tensions created by public actions such as sit-ins and marches. To this, King confirmed that he and his fellow demonstrators were indeed using nonviolent direct action in order to create "constructive" tension. This tension was intended to compel meaningful negotiation with the white power structure, without which true civil rights could never be achieved. Citing previous failed negotiations, King wrote that the black community was left with "no alternative." "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."

The clergymen also disapproved of the timing of public actions. In response, King said that recent decisions by the SCLC to delay its efforts for tactical reasons showed they were behaving responsibly. He also referred to the broader scope of history, when "'Wait' has almost always meant 'Never.'" Declaring that African Americans had waited for these God-given and constitutional rights long enough, King quoted Chief Justice Earl Warren, who said in 1958 that "justice too long delayed is justice denied." Listing numerous ongoing injustices toward black people, including himself, King said, "Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, 'Wait.'"

Along similar lines, King also lamented the "myth concerning time," by which white moderates assumed that progress toward equal rights was inevitable, so assertive activism was unnecessary. King called it a "tragic misconception of time" to assume that its mere passage "will inevitably cure all ills." Progress takes time as well as the "tireless efforts" of dedicated people of good will.

Against the clergymen's assertion that demonstrations could be illegal, King argued that not only was civil disobedience justified in the face of unjust laws, but it was necessary and even patriotic. "I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law."

King stated that an unjust law was a law that degraded a human personality. Citing Augustine of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Buber, and Paul Tillich—and examples from the past and present—King described what makes laws just or unjust. For example, "A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law." Alabama has used "all sorts of devious methods" to deny its black citizens their right to vote and thus preserve its unjust laws and broader system of white supremacy. Segregation laws are immoral and unjust "because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority." Even some just laws, such as permit requirements for public marches, are unjust when used to uphold an unjust system.

King addressed the accusation that the Civil Rights Movement was "extreme," first disputing the label but then accepting it. Compared to other movements at the time, King finds himself as a moderate. However, in his devotion to his cause, King refers to himself as an extremist. Jesus and other great reformers were extremists: "So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?" King's discussion of extremism implicitly responded to numerous "moderate" objections to the ongoing movement, such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower's claim that he could not meet with civil rights leaders because doing so would require him to meet with the Ku Klux Klan.

King expressed general frustration with both white moderates and certain "opposing forces in the Negro community." He wrote that white moderates, including clergymen, posed a challenge comparable to that of white supremacists, in the sense that, "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection." King asserted that the white church needed to take a principled stand or risk being "dismissed as an irrelevant social club." Regarding the black community, King wrote that we need not follow "the 'do-nothingism' of the complacent nor the hatred and despair of the black nationalist."

In closing the letter, King criticized the clergy's praise of the Birmingham police for maintaining order nonviolently. Recent public displays of nonviolence by the police were in stark contrast to their typical treatment of black people, and, as public relations, helped "to preserve the evil system of segregation." Not only is it wrong to use immoral means to achieve moral ends, but also "to use moral means to preserve immoral ends." Instead of the police, King praised the nonviolent demonstrators in Birmingham, "for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer and their amazing discipline in the midst of great provocation. One day the South will recognize its real heroes."

King wrote the letter on the margins of a newspaper, which was the only paper available to him, and then gave bits and pieces of the letter to his lawyers to take back to movement headquarters, where the pastor Wyatt Tee Walker and his secretary Willie Pearl Mackey began compiling and editing the literary jigsaw puzzle.

An editor at The New York Times Magazine, Harvey Shapiro, asked King to write his letter for publication in the magazine, but the Times chose not to publish it. Extensive excerpts from the letter were published, without King's consent, on May 19, 1963, in the New York Post Sunday Magazine. The letter was first published as "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in the June 1963 issue of Liberation, the June 12, 1963, edition of The Christian Century, and in the June 24, 1963, issue of The New Leader. The letter gained more popularity as summer went on, and was reprinted in the July Atlantic Monthly as "The Negro Is Your Brother." King included a version of the full text in his 1964 book Why We Can't Wait.

Atlanta Media Pioneer to Headline King Awards Luncheon

The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Program, represents a commitment to the legacy of Dr. King, and recognizes those individuals in our community who have helped to keep his dream alive. This year will be the 41st anniversary celebration of the Dr. King Awards Program. Bloomington-Normal's Dr. King celebration is one of the longest continuous running programs in the country.

Nominations for the 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards are due by Tuesday.Winners will be announced and awards will be presented at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Luncheon on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at the Brown Ballroom at Illinois State University's Bone Student Center. 

Tickets for the 2017 luncheon honoring Dr. King are available from City of Bloomington and Normal Human Relations Commission members. Tickets may also be purchased at Bloomington and Normal city halls. Single tickets are $20. Reserved tables are available.

This year’s guest speaker will be broadcast journalism pioneer Monica Pearson, who in 1975 became the first minority and first woman to anchor the evening news in Atlanta, Georgia. Over a 37-year career with WSB, the CBS network affiliate in Atlanta, Ms. Pearson won numerous journalism and humanitarian awards, including 33 local and regional Emmy Awards.  In March 2012, the bipartisan Georgia delegation to the U.S. Congress honored her on the floor of the U.S. House as "a true pioneer and a trailblazer in television news."

Haynes, Mendez, Funderburg, Brooks Honored at MLK Luncheon

Local adults and youth who've led the community in realizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s spirit were honored today (Saturday) during the annual Twin Cities MLK Luncheon at Illinois State University.

Luncheon Human Relations winners were:

Arthur Haynes of Bloomington, founder and coordinator of the annual West Side Neighborhood Summer Block Party, which has brought together people in the neighborhood. He serves on the Bloomington Housing Authority and on the board of the West Bloomington Revitalization Project. He is a member of the steering committee for the NAACP ACT-SO program.

Marcos Mendez of Normal, 2014-2015 chairman of the board for Conexiones Latinas de McLean County, through which he coordinated a school supply drive for low-income families. He partnered with Illinois State University faculty and United Way of McLean County to increase Latino parents’ access to bilingual/Spanish-language books to read with their children. Marcos has been involved with Minorities and Police Partnership.

I Have A Dream winners were:

Amari Funderburg of Normal, a senior at Normal Community High School. She is president of the NCHS Culture Club and is a representative at Not In Our School Club meetings. She serves meals at Home Sweet Home Ministries and collects donations for The Salvation Army.

Markus Brooks of Bloomington, a senior at Normal Community High School. He volunteers with the Bloomington Police Department Explorer Club, 100 Black Men, Sigma Beta Club, Back to School Party, Special Olympics, Cultural Fest and Sigma Gamma Rho sorority annual youth symposium.

Amari Funderburg, above, with Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal Education Subcommittee Chairman Camille Taylor, left, and co-chair Anne Libert. Below, Markus Deshawn Brooks with Normal Community High School Associate Principal, Nikki Mauer

Arthur Haynes, left, and Marcos Mendez, center, with other MLK Human Relations nominees, from left, Arlene Hosea, Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal's Mary Aplington, and Jesse Padilla.

State of the Dream

Camille Taylor

WJBC Forum

During January, there are many celebrations around Dr. Martin L. King Jr.’s birthday. The “I Have a Dream” speech is part of Dr. King’s legacy. Since our president gave the State of the Union address last night (Tuesday), I wanted to share a few “State of the Dream” observations.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Dr. King would have been pleased to see Barack Obama elected President, believing that as a nation, we may be closer to that dream. However, discrimination on the basis of race continues. The U.S. Bureau of Statistics provides a stark contrast between the quality of life for whites versus people of color. A typical white household has 16 times the wealth than people of color when you define wealth as home ownership, education, and job earnings.

Dr. King said, “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” Since 1975, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus has state legislators who develop remedies for social and economic problems.

King said, “We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.” With the erosion of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Mississippi doesn’t allow early voting or on-line voting and requires official identification when voting. This has turned the history clock back to the 1960s.

King said, “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.” What would Dr. King think of the almost weekly news of unarmed blacks being shot by police in communities across our nation?

King also said, “I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells.” Dr. King would be saddened by issues like the school to prison pipeline impacting black students, or statistics like one in three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime or one out of every 15 black men are incarcerated compared to one out of every 106 white men.

No doubt progress has occurred, but we have a long way to go before his dream becomes a reality.

Nominees Named for 2016 MLK Awards

Mary Aplington, third from left, at the 2015 MLK Luncheon.

The 40th annual Martin Luther King Junior Awards in Bloomington-Normal will feature 13 nominees. Four winners will be announced January 16 at ISU's Bone Student Center.

Two high school students and two adults -- including Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal's Mary Aplington, who has been working with local schools to stop bullying and bigotry -- will be recognized for promoting tolerance and understanding.

In the running are students Marcus Brooks, Rahul Vudaru, Veena Yeleswarapu, Rachek Beck, Keerthi Amballa, Amanda Breeden, Amari Funderburg, and Helen Steinbacher-Kemp.

Adult contenders for the honor include: Aplington, NIOTBN alumni Arlene Hosea and Marcos Mendez, Jesse Padilla, and Arthur Haynes.

The Human Relations Commissions of Bloomington and Normal make the selections.

Angela Davis to Headline MLK Dinner Jan. 22

Social equality activist and author Angela Davis will headline the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner on Friday, January 22, in the Brown Ballroom of the Bone Student Center. Reservations are required.

Doors open at 5 p.m., with dinner beginning at 6 p.m. Seats are $15 for students and $35 for non-students. Reservations can be made until January 11 by calling 438-8790, online at UniversityEvents.IllinoisState.edu/MLK, or printing and mailing the flyer.

The event is sponsored by Illinois State’s Office of the President and the Illinois State student chapter of the NAACP.

Davis draws upon her own experiences in the early 1970s as a person who spent 18 months in jail and on trial, after being placed on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted List” in her quest for equality. Through her activism and scholarship over many decades, she has been deeply involved in movements for social justice around the world, always emphasizing the importance of building communities of struggle for economic, racial, and gender justice.

Professor Davis’ teaching career has taken her to San Francisco State University, Mills College, and the University of California at Berkeley. She also has taught at UCLA, Vassar, the Claremont Colleges, and Stanford University. Most recently she spent 15 years at the University of California Santa Cruz, where she is now a Distinguished Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness and of Feminist Studies.

The author of nine books on race, gender, and imprisonment, Davis’ recent works include Abolition Democracy, Are Prisons Obsolete?, and a new edition of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. In 2012, she published a new collection of essays entitled The Meaning of Freedom.

In recent years, a persistent theme of her work has been the range of social problems associated with incarceration, and the generalized criminalization of those communities that are most affected by poverty and racial discrimination. She has lectured on the subject throughout the United States as well as in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America. She is a founding member of Critical Resistance, a national organization dedicated to the dismantling of the prison-industrial complex. Davis is affiliated with Sisters Inside, an abolitionist organization based in Queensland, Australia, that works in solidarity with women in prison.

The event is part of the President’s Speaker Series at Illinois State University.

For more information, or if you need special accommodations to fully participate in this event, please contact Julie Barnhill, Presidential and Trustee Events, at jtbarnh@IllinoisState.edu or (309) 438-8790(309) 438-8790.

Here are some remarks by Davis at Florida A&M University in 1979.

Arlene: Louisiana Transplant 'Walking History Book'

Arlene Hosea

WJBC Forum

I will begin with a quote by Marcus Cicero:

“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child.   For what is the worth of human life, unless to be woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?”

Pantagraph 2014: Arlene Hosea (third from left) and Henry Gay (center)

August 5, 2015 is a very important day. Why is that, you might ask? Well, it is the 91stbirthday of Mr. Henry Gay.   Who is Mr. Gay you might ask? Well, if you do not know him, I plan to tell a bit about him but if you get a chance to talk to him, please do because it will be an enlightening conversation.   He is a walking history book regarding African American life in this community over the past 70 years.

Mr. Gay is a man who relocated to the Bloomington-Normal area in 1945 from Shreveport Louisiana and he has seen this community grow and change.   I attended the 2015 History Makers Gala with him and realized how much information he has to share. Mr. Gay has known my family for years and has known me since I was a baby.   I used to be at the Gay family home in the mid to late 1970’s all ofthe time as his daughter Peg was my best friend in high school. Mr. Gay and his wife, the late Bernice Gay was always nice and hospitable. They always asked how things were and how school was going. The conversation about education was important to them and is a very important part of Mr. Gay’s conversation today.   I did not realize at 17 years of age, that I was talking to an advocate who helped craft changes in this community and who made my journey easier because of what he did.

During one of our recent conversations, I learned that this husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and longtime member and Deacon of his church believed in the philosophy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and has worked hard to “follow Kings example.” In 1952, Mr. Gay joined the local chapter of the NAACP, and has been “affectionately referred to as Mr. NAACP or the NAACP Man” because of his leadership role within the organization and being one of its most active members.   Mr. Gay is a very humble man who does not desire to be the center of attention, but a man of conviction and one who will speak up to try to ensure equality and equity for others.

Our community was a different community in 1945 when Mr. Gay arrived and was different when he marched and met with others in the community about housing rights, job opportunities, and theimportance of education and other basic rights. Mr. Gay has been recognized over the years for his contributions.   A few of the recognitions that he has received include: A recipient of the 1988 Bloomington Human Relations Award, in 2000 hereceived the NAACP Roy Wilkins Award for service to the NAACP, and most recently, he was presented with a certificate of recognition for his contributions for “the betterment of the African American Community of Bloomington-Normal and McLean County at the June 20, 2015 Juneteenth Celebration. In 2001 the Student Chapter of the NAACP asked Mr. Gay to be the keynote speaker for their first annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration banquet. His keynote was entitled “Martin Luther King – A Lifetime of Peaceful Protest.”

Mr. Gay is passionate about children giving their best and staying in school to obtain their education.   His quote that I will always remember is “get your education because that is something no one can ever take from you.” Mr. Gay fully understands that education is the key to future opportunity.   If you talk to him, he can tell you about earning $4.50 per week and being thankful for having a job. He can tell you about working hard to raise a family and providing opportunity for his children. As I stated to Mr. Gay one evening while sitting on his porch in early June, “I wish all of my nieces, nephews, and grandchildren could speak with you because your story is one that all of our youth should hear.” Then I added, “It really is one we should all hear.”

Happy Birthday, Mr. Henry Gay, and thank you for being committed to making this community a better one over your 70-year residency.

Arlene Hosea was born and raised in Bloomington.  She retired from Illinois State University and is on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Illinois.  She has also served on the Town of Normal Human Relations Commission, The Baby Fold and the YWCA Board of Directors.  Arlene resides in Normal.

Joyful Noises: 25th Annual MLK Gospel Festival

Illinois Wesleyan University's Westbrook Auditorium today was filled with joyful noises as IWU and the United Community Gospel Singers of Bloomington-Normal presented the 25th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday Gospel Festival.

The festival honored King’s legacy and featured performances by The United Gospel Singers of Bloomington-Normal Mass Choir, The Gayles Memorial Baptist Mass Choir and Praise Dancers of Aurora, The Fantastic Jones Family of Springfield, and The Family Choir of Harvey, Illinois.

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Additional performers included Mount Pisgah Sunbeam Choir, Union Missionary Baptist Church Junior Gospel Quartet, Union Missionary Baptist Church Adult Choir, Mount Pisgah Praise Dancers, and Mount Pisgah Adult Choir.

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The Gospel Festival was founded in 1991 by the late Corine Sims and her husband, the Rev. James Sims, with Illinois Wesleyan and the United Community Gospel Singers of Bloomington-Normal as co-founders. King spoke at Illinois Wesleyan in 1961 and returned to the University in 1966 after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

Renner at MLK Awards Luncheon: Police Remark 'Not Who We Are'

As more than 600 attendees lunched and ruminated on the spirit and philosophy of one of the U.S.' preeminent civil rights leaders, Mayor Tari Renner acknowledged and apologized for a 2013 racial remark by a BPD policeman that came to light in a recent court proceeding.

Uploaded by Martin Ross on 2015-01-19.

At the 39th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Luncheon program Saturday at Illinois State University's Bone Student Center, Renner said the comment, which earned the officer an official reprimand by new Police Chief Brendan Heffner, "is not who we are."

"It's not the community I want us to be in the 21st century," The mayor said (see accompanying video by Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal's Darlene Miller).

"It is just unacceptable behavior. I'm very sorry for that," Renner said. "Let's work together. I need your ideas. We need your creativity in the future. I look forward to working with all of you to make Bloomington-Normal a better community and embrace our diversity."

Keynote speaker was AME Church Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie of Texas, who told the luncheon's sold-out crowd "the recent events this year have shaken America out of our fantasyland of a post-racial society." Recent police shootings and subsequent public protests have "exposed the underbelly of hatred and fear and elicits biases that still exist," the AME's first elected female bishop said.

"We must find a nonviolent way to give voice to the rage simmering just below the surface," Murphy McKenzie maintained.

"We need more people with uncommon courage to work toward a solution to the problems that face us in our communities ... and find a way to speak with one voice. We must work hard to find a common ground."

Community groups including NIOT:BN and local police agencies hope to identify that common ground during Breaking Barriers, a police-community discussion from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at City of Refuge Church, Bloomington.

A new lifetime achievement award was given posthumously to local labor leader David Penn.

Award-winner Stokes is a volunteer with the Boys & Girls Club, is active in Mount Pisgah Baptist Church and is a long-time member of the Orthodox Woodriver District Baptist Association. She is first vice president of the Bloomington-Normal NAACP and is past president of the Bloomington-Normal alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Jones has coordinated the Bloomington-Normal Cultural Festival; spearheaded the creation of an entrepreneur showcase to inform the community of minority businesses; and created a monthly fundraising event with proceeds going to different community organizations.

Ajayi attends Normal Community High School; Smith is a student at Normal Community West High School. She was cited for her leadership of the school's Culture Club and her church; she has worked for a Not In Our School campaign. 

Smith was cited for her school and extracurricular activities and her broad support of inclusiveness. She will be salutatorian for the Class of 2015.

Katherine: MLK Inspired 'A Clear Vision'

Katherine Warren

Perter Yarrow,Paul (Noel) Stookey and Mary Travers sing "Blowing in The Wind" at the 1963 march on Washington . Before or after Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech.

I have always been very inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and the vision Martin Luther King, Jr. had for this nation. I remember being in 5th grade. I spent days and nights memorizing the I Have A Dream Speech which I recited at an assembly. Then I met Peter Yarrow (of the '60s folk/rock trio Peter, Paul, and Mary), who told me he marched with MLK Jr. And I found that to be the most honorable action ever.

To see how far we have come and where we are now, I have hope for the future. That people are recognized as human and equality is just given, not granted. That as a whole nation we humble ourselves to have a full heart and a clear vision. That one day we stand tall, proud, and hand in hand to serve each other. May the dream MLK had continue to be lived out today, tomorrow, and for as long as any legacy should last... Forever.

Peter Yarrow, right, with singer Bob Dylan, center, during a 1963 civil rights march on Washington. Above, left, Yarrow remembers the '63 march and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s participation.

Bloomington's Katherine Warren is a student at Indiana State University working toward a Masters in Student Affairs and Higher Education. She is a graduate assistant for AmeriCorps and Programming for Indiana State's Center for Community Engagement.

1966: Dr. King Comes to Campus

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Illinois Wesleyan University's Fred Young Fieldhouse on Feb. 10, 1966. Here are his remarks, as recorded by WJBC.

WJBC News Director Don Newberg interviews King during his earlier 1961 visit to Illinois Wesleyan University. (WJBC archives)

"President Bertholf and members of the faculty and members of the student body of this great institution of learning, ladies and gentlemen.  I need not pause to say how very delighted and honored I am to have the privilege of coming once more to the campus of Illinois Wesleyan and the privilege of sharing with you in your lecture series.  And I certainly want to express my appreciation to you for extending the invitation.  I must apologize for being a little late getting here this evening, it so happened that we had a very important meeting in Chicago.  And it was raining a little when we left Chicago and we were moving from the meeting where I had to speak, to get to the airport and my assistant, the Reverend Bernard Lee who is here, was driving us along and I noticed the car skipping around a bit in the midst of this rather slippery pavement.  I had to say to Bernard to slow up a little bit.  And I followed that up by saying that I would rather be Martin Luther King late than the late Martin Luther King.

But we are here and delighted to be here as your distinguished President has said, we are happy to be accompanied by Mrs. King, whom you have already met, and also by my dearest friend and close associate and perennial jail mate, the Reverend Dr. Ralph David Abernathy and his wife, to my left.  You may stand.

There is a desperate and innocent poignant question on the lips of hundreds and thousands, yea millions of people all over our nation and all over the world.  I get it a great deal as I journey around the country and other places and I am sure this question is on the lips of many here tonight.  It is the question, are we really making any progress in race relations?  I think that there are basically three answers that can be given to this question.  One is the answer of extreme optimism.  Now the extreme optimist would say in substance that we are making marvelous strides in race relations.  They would point joyously to the marvelous developments that have taken place over the last few decades in terms of legislative advances.  And from this they would conclude that the problem is just about solved now and that we can sit down comfortably on the wayside and wait on the coming of the inevitable.  The second position that can be taken is that of extreme pessimism.  The extreme pessimist would say that we have made only minor strides in race relations.  They would contend that the deep rumblings of discontent that we hear over the nation, the resurgence of the Klu Klux Klan in some sections of the South and other sections of the North, and the rebirth of white citizens councils, all indicative of the fact that we have created many more problems than we have solved.  And from this they would go on to argue that there can really be no real progress in race relations.  And it is very interesting to notice that the extreme optimist and the extreme pessimist agree on at least one point.  And that is that we can sit down and do nothing in this all-important area.  The extreme optimist says do nothing because integration is inevitable.  The extreme pessimist says do nothing because integration is impossible.  But there is a third position that can be taken, namely the realistic position.  The realist in race relations trying to answer the question of progress would seek to combine the trues of two opposites, while avoiding the extremes of both.  And so the realist would agree with the optimist that we have come a long, long way, but he would seek to balance that by agreeing with the pessimist in that we have a long, long way to go.  And it is this realistic position that I would like to take as a basis for our thinking together this evening as we deal with the question of progress in race relations, and as we deal with the whole question of the future of integration.  We have come a long, long way, but we have a long, long way to go before the problem is solved."

Martin: Ms. Pate and Dr. King

Martin Ross

Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal

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I was a wobblingly uncertain eighth grader wandering warily and dazed through the social revolution and evolution of the early '70s when I met LaRosa Pate and, under her tutelage, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In the Sarah Scott Junior High class catalogue, Ms. Pate was assigned the task of sharpening our command of the language, educating the apathetic and uninitiated on American letters. But you got a special bonus package in LaRosa Pate's eighth-grade English -- she was an uber-serious, occasionally dry-witted, and sternly kind twentysomething African-American who sought to use her teacher's pulpit to shape wet clay like us into solid, safe, thoughtful citizens. Her fifth-hour class was a quirky mélange of textbook lit, drug education (Ms. Pate would have none of the era's new permissiveness), and that then-hidden corner of public school knowledge known as "Afro-American" history.

LaRose Pate introduced me to Dr. King one afternoon in the stacks of the Sarah Scott library, where my buddies and I had decided to squander our study hour with some fairly innocent but audible horseplay. Ms. Pate gently admonished me for my momentary lapse in judgment and dignity, suggesting I had much to live up to -- i.e., another Martin, a man I remembered vaguely as having died a tragic death a few years back. A man, not young, not old even by my adolescent barometer, whose name was murmured in some quarters with reverence, in others with contempt. As Ms. Pate went on, I transitioned from embarrassment to something else. This was a man who sought all men to be equal, who valued character above human superficialities.

It now may seem unfair, almost ludicrous, offering this giant of a man up as a 14-year-old's ethical yardstick, based on the mere commonality of a Christian name. But dreams are often bigger when you're young, and somehow, amidst the cruelty and anything's-possible hope of junior high, Dr. King's Dream imprinted in some corner of my white, semi-formed teen psyche.

Indeed, Ms. Pate had made her indelible mark on me. I recall my exhaustive (and for my folks, exhausting) hunt for all things peanut-based as part of a definitive "English" presentation on the legacy of African-American botanist/inventor George Washington Carver (1864-1943). Linoleum from peanuts, who'd have thought? I remember Mom dutifully venturing to a place she likely otherwise never would have ventured -- Charles T. Hyte Community Center, the social center of Terre Haute's African-American community -- to secure an autograph from Louis Russell, then the world's longest-living black heart transplant recipient. It would serve as the cherry atop a carefully scripted and bound report for Ms. Pate's perusal.

And, I like to think, I began with that gentle scolding in the Sarah Scott library to understand the character that lies potentially under all human skin. That's why, when I sought a quote to accompany the above Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal ad that will appear in Monday's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday Gospel Festival program booklet, I bypassed some of the man's more oft-quoted pearls for a piece of fundamental wisdom that pays ample tribute to Ms. Pate, Dr. King, and all those willing to teach those willing to listen.

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."

Renner to review 'Selma' events, Voting Act impact Friday

Copyright Paramount Pictures

Bloomington mayor and political science expert Tari Renner will offer insights on a crucial chapter in U.S. civil rights Friday in anticipation of the film "Selma"s arrival in the Twin Cities.

During Friday's biweekly City of Bloomington mayoral open house, at 4 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers, 109 E. Olive St., Renner will discuss the Selma-to-Montgomery march -- the seminal basis for the new Martin Luther King Jr. biopic "Selma" -- and the lasting impact of the federal Voter's Rights Act of 1965.

Those are familiar topics for Renner, a political science professor with Illinois Wesleyan University. Dr. Renner, who also served on the faculties of Duquesne University and Washington College, was hired to chair IWU's poli-sci department in 1994.

His research interests have focused on local government policy-making structures and American elections. Renner received his Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from American University.

"Since race and southern politics are among my research and teaching interests, I'm hoping to help educate the community on the eve of the release of the movie "Selma" on Friday," Renner related.

The regular open house, an opportunity for residents to study the workings and latest activities of Bloomington government, will resume at 4:30 p.m.

"Selma" chronicles the three-month period in 1965 when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo) led a campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. 

Oprah Winfrey appears in the film as civil rights activist Annie Lee Cooper. For more information about the film, visit www.selmamovie.com. For a movie preview, visit Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6t7vVTxaic

"Selma" will be screened at Wehrenberg Bloomington Galaxy 14 Cine and Starplex Cinemas Normal Stadium 14. Check theater listings for times.