Drum Major Instinct
As of August 28, 2011, our country now has a national memorial dedicated to the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, D.C. Ah-mazing. The only other African American in our history to be recognized nationally on this large a scale was the late Rosa Parks, who lied in state at the Capital Rotunda. She was also the first and only woman in our nation's history to have this honor.
The Civil Rights Movement has so far been the most remarkable part of our American history, it touched the lives of every single American in ways both large and small. The significance of the changes in our society from this historical time period have yet to be realized.
The dedication ceremony for Dr.King's memorial was rescheduled because of Hurricane Irene, and this is a real shame. The significance of the Civil Rights movement, and this great leader are so important to our past, present and future. As we sit and reckon with the problems of today, the economy,lack of jobs and bicker back and forth over where the blame lies, we need to revisit the words and writings of Dr. King. He had a global perspective of America's problems, and warned us over and over about the problems of inequality and especially poverty. Now we appear to be looking at the problems of poverty, as they have crossed over the color line, and now invade the lives of Americans of all backgrounds.
The dedication of this memorial is not without its own controversy. While the memorial itself appears to be nothing short of utterly stunning, particularly the statue of the Dr. King:
http://www.mlkmemorial.org/site/c.hkIUL9MVJxE/b.6021495/k.7E74/Virtual_Tour_Flyover.htm
There is confusion surrounding the veracity of a quote inscribed on or near his statue. It seems that after all the hard work on the surroundings, the landscape, the majesty of the "dream" turned into a living memorial, the architects somehow came up short on the actual words of Dr. King.
Seriously??
This can not be serious. On the actual statue???
Dr. King, probably one of the greatest orators of modern time, is immortal because of his spoken words. I am almost baffled and puzzled at the reasoning behind such a decision.
The quote on the statue: "I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness."
The actual quote from Dr. King's sermon in 1968:
"If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness."
http://www.ajc.com/news/mlk-monument-quote-stirs-1155175.html
Of course, I am thrilled about the monument, and I do not think that anyone really has the right to criticize the team of artists and architects who worked on this project for who knows how long. Even if they are members of the Civil Rights movement, Dr. Maya Angelou not withstanding! I do however, question their judgement and reasoning behind this decision. I think in the world we live in now, where twitter sends things around the world in nanoseconds, it is really important to one)be as accurate as possible, and two) give credit to the author, artist, creator, etc.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/is-a-russian-trained-chinese-sculptor-the-best-choice-to-create-the-mlk-jr-memorial/
And ultimately, while we as adults may have the knowledge to understand paraphrasing, and why we shorten quotes and etc. Children of this nation need to know the long version of everything first. Imagine if we started paraphrasing the Pledge of Allegiance? Or better yet the alphabet? Actually that may already be happening. BTW. OMG.
Just in case you need a reminder of why Dr. King was a great human being of generous wisdom and intelligent thought, listen and watch his "Drum Major" sermon here. And go to the Memorial!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY1raOAVCgo
The Civil Rights Movement has so far been the most remarkable part of our American history, it touched the lives of every single American in ways both large and small. The significance of the changes in our society from this historical time period have yet to be realized.
The dedication ceremony for Dr.King's memorial was rescheduled because of Hurricane Irene, and this is a real shame. The significance of the Civil Rights movement, and this great leader are so important to our past, present and future. As we sit and reckon with the problems of today, the economy,lack of jobs and bicker back and forth over where the blame lies, we need to revisit the words and writings of Dr. King. He had a global perspective of America's problems, and warned us over and over about the problems of inequality and especially poverty. Now we appear to be looking at the problems of poverty, as they have crossed over the color line, and now invade the lives of Americans of all backgrounds.
The dedication of this memorial is not without its own controversy. While the memorial itself appears to be nothing short of utterly stunning, particularly the statue of the Dr. King:
http://www.mlkmemorial.org/site/c.hkIUL9MVJxE/b.6021495/k.7E74/Virtual_Tour_Flyover.htm
There is confusion surrounding the veracity of a quote inscribed on or near his statue. It seems that after all the hard work on the surroundings, the landscape, the majesty of the "dream" turned into a living memorial, the architects somehow came up short on the actual words of Dr. King.
Seriously??
This can not be serious. On the actual statue???
Dr. King, probably one of the greatest orators of modern time, is immortal because of his spoken words. I am almost baffled and puzzled at the reasoning behind such a decision.
The quote on the statue: "I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness."
The actual quote from Dr. King's sermon in 1968:
"If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness."
http://www.ajc.com/news/mlk-monument-quote-stirs-1155175.html
Of course, I am thrilled about the monument, and I do not think that anyone really has the right to criticize the team of artists and architects who worked on this project for who knows how long. Even if they are members of the Civil Rights movement, Dr. Maya Angelou not withstanding! I do however, question their judgement and reasoning behind this decision. I think in the world we live in now, where twitter sends things around the world in nanoseconds, it is really important to one)be as accurate as possible, and two) give credit to the author, artist, creator, etc.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/is-a-russian-trained-chinese-sculptor-the-best-choice-to-create-the-mlk-jr-memorial/
And ultimately, while we as adults may have the knowledge to understand paraphrasing, and why we shorten quotes and etc. Children of this nation need to know the long version of everything first. Imagine if we started paraphrasing the Pledge of Allegiance? Or better yet the alphabet? Actually that may already be happening. BTW. OMG.
Just in case you need a reminder of why Dr. King was a great human being of generous wisdom and intelligent thought, listen and watch his "Drum Major" sermon here. And go to the Memorial!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY1raOAVCgo
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