naacp Archives - Where Is The Outrage?

Meet the Press – Roy Wilkins and Martin Luther King

I thought that I would re-post this episode of Meet the Press.

Roy Wilkins, Executive Secretary of the NAACP, and Martin Luther King were on Meet the Press back in 1963. This was just before the March on Washington. The format of Meet the Press was a little different. There were three reporters firing questions at the guests.

This is very interesting. One of the reporters was terribly worried about violence, which in looking through a 50-year retrospectoscope, looks to be awfully racist to me. What he appears to be saying is that Blacks can’t assemble in large numbers without tearing stuff up. Hell, we know that Whites have trouble assembling in large numbers without tearing things up (Woodstock II).

Interestingly, it appears that Wilkins is the more “important” guest. King becomes the great MLK, after the March on Washington and after his “I Have a Dream” speech.

By ecthompsonmd|2019-03-03T20:36:46-04:00January 21st, 2019|Civil Rights, Race|Comments Off

Moral Monday

I was invited to speak at yesterday’s Mountain Moral Monday. Wow. What a great event. Incredible gathering. Great energy. Great message.

The campaign to elect Martin Ramsey sent me the following:

For Immediate Release:

MOUNTAIN MORAL MONDAY PACKS PACK SQUARE

Aug. 6th, 2013-

Yesterday, an estimated crowd of eight to ten thousand citizens packed downtown Asheville responding to a call to rally in support of Moral Monday and the Forward Together movement. Diverse groups across constituencies such as women’s health advocates, the Campaign for Southern Equality, WNC Labor Council, Save Our Water WNC, and the NAACP came together to issue a resounding condemnation of the policies of the current General Assembly in Raleigh.

Addressing the thousands of attendees, Rev. Dr. William Barber stated, “Instead of depressing us, they’ve made us determined to fight. Instead of dividing us, they have united us. Instead of separating men and women, they’ve brought men and women together. Instead of discouraging young people they’ve put a fire in them and raised up a new generation.”

“We need to be prepared to fight for our future,” stated Martin Ramsey, mayoral candidate for Asheville. “We must continue to struggle in any way we can to keep Raleigh from privatizing our water by stealth, in the courts, on the streets. We must continue to struggle to make sure that working people have access to healthcare and education. To create work that empowers and builds a community that we want to and are proud to pass on. We’ve got to chart a way forward that rejects the agenda of right-wing politicians, corporate magnates, and creates a humane city in its wake. The stewardship of what we hold dear is at stake.”

By ecthompsonmd|2013-08-06T09:54:09-04:00August 6th, 2013|Domestic Issues|Comments Off

Thursday Morning News Roundup

Sarah Palin

I know that everybody was waiting on the edge of their seats to see if Sarah Palin was going to run for president. Right now, the rumors are she’s not going to run. This should be no surprise to anyone who follows politics. As remember, Sarah Palin started her bus tour several months ago. No matter what she and her handlers said about the bus tour, the purpose of the bus tour was clear – to generate a buzz. Unfortunately for Sarah Palin, her bus tour of New Hampshire, Vermont and New England was a flop. So, she fell back to her alternative plan, to let the presidential race start and then let a groundswell of people who did not want Mitt Romney or Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann to run to ask her, to demand that she get in the race. That didn’t happen either. So, I think she has no alternative but to announce that she is not running for president.

A new immigration law is causing many Alabama workers to flee the state.

The mainstream media has completely missed the whole point of Occupy Wall Street. The mainstream media continues to point out there’s not a coherent message. I find this somewhat amusing. The Tea Party for months never expressed a coherent message, yet the mainstream media covered the Tea Party’s every sneeze, hiccup and rally, even if there were only three people there. Jon Stewart has a nice segment on this.

Liberals and progressives need to take notice of Occupy Wall Street. This is people power. Occupy Wall Street has grown out of the overwhelming show of solidarity that we saw in Wisconsin.

I know that the word “maverick” has been thrown around a lot in the last 24 months. The word had been hijacked by Sarah Palin, when in fact the word “opportunist” would probably fit her better. On the other hand, Derrick Bell was truly a maverick. Consider his work in the Justice Department when superiors told him that his membership in the NAACP was a conflict of interest. He quit his job in the Justice Department. When he was a tenured professor at Harvard Law School, he stepped down because of Harvard’s minority hiring practices (or lack thereof). Derrick Bell has died at the age of 80. He was a true maverick. He fought for social justice. He was a true warrior.

By ecthompsonmd|2011-10-06T11:09:49-04:00October 6th, 2011|Economy, Party Politics|Comments Off