Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Atlanta Speech

The populace address past times doc Martin Luther King, Jr., reprinted here, was made to the Tenth Anniversary Convention of the S.C.L.C. inwards Atlanta, Georgia on August 16, 1967.

'Where Do We Go From Here'

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
(born: Jan 15, 1929 – died: Apr 4, 1968)

N ow, inwards monastic enjoin to respond the question, "Where make nosotros travel from here?" which is our theme, nosotros must showtime honestly recognize where nosotros are now. When the Constitution was written, a unusual formula to determine taxes together with representation declared that the Negro was lx percentage of a person. Today some other curious formula seems to declare he is 50 percentage of a person. Of the practiced things inwards life, the Negro has unopen to 1 one-half those of whites. Of the bad things of life, he has twice those of whites. Thus one-half of all Negroes alive inwards substandard housing. And Negroes select one-half the income of whites. When nosotros see the negative experiences of life, the Negro has a double share. There are twice as many unemployed. The charge per unit of measurement of babe mortality alongside Negroes is double that of whites together with in that location are twice as many Negroes dying inwards Vietnam as whites inwards proportion to their size inwards the population.

In other spheres, the figures are every bit alarming. In uncomplicated schools, Negroes lag 1 to 3 years behind whites, together with their segregated schools have substantially less coin per educatee than the white schools. One twentieth as many Negroes as whites attend college. Of employed Negroes, 75 percentage agree menial jobs.

This is where nosotros are. Where make nosotros travel from here? First, nosotros must massively assert our dignity together with worth. We must stand upwards up amidst a organization that soundless oppresses us together with develop an unassailable together with violet feel of values. We must no longer live ashamed of beingness black. The chore of arousing manhood inside a people that select been taught for together with so many centuries that they are nobody is non easy.

DEPICTION OF BLACKNESS AND NEGRO CONTRIBUTIONS

Photo of Martn Luther King, Jr.

Even semantics select conspired to create that which is dark seem ugly together with degrading. In Roget's Thesaurus in that location are 120 synonyms for blackness together with at to the lowest degree lx of them are offensive, as for example, blot, soot, grim, devil together with foul. And in that location are some 134 synonyms for whiteness together with all are favorable, expressed inwards such words as purity, cleanliness, chastity together with innocence. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 white prevarication is ameliorate than a dark lie. The most degenerate fellow member of a menage unit of measurement is a "black sheep." Ossie Davis has suggested that mayhap the English linguistic communication language should live reconstructed together with so that teachers volition non live forced to learn the Negro kid lx ways to despise himself, together with thereby perpetuate his imitation feel of inferiority, together with the white kid 134 ways to adore himself, together with thereby perpetuate his imitation feel of superiority.

The vogue to ignore the Negro's contribution to American life together with to strip him of his personhood, is as onetime as the earliest history books together with as contemporary as the morning's newspaper. To upset this cultural homicide, the Negro must ascent upwards with an affirmation of his ain Olympian manhood. Any motion for the Negro's liberty that overlooks this necessity is entirely waiting to live buried. As long as the hear is enslaved, the trunk tin never live free. Psychological freedom, a theater feel of self-esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long nighttime of physical slavery. No Lincolnian Emancipation Proclamation or Johnsonian Civil Rights Bill tin totally convey this form of freedom. The Negro volition entirely live costless when he reaches downwards to the inner depths of his ain beingness together with signs with the pen together with ink of assertive manhood his ain Emancipation Proclamation. And, with a spirit straining toward truthful self-esteem, the Negro must boldly throw off the manacles of self-abnegation together with tell to himself together with to the world, "I am somebody. I am a person. I am a human being with dignity together with honor. I select a rich together with noble history. How painful together with exploited that history has been. Yes, I was a slave through my foreparents together with I am non ashamed of that. I'm ashamed of the people who were together with so sinful to create me a slave." Yes, nosotros must stand upwards up together with say, "I'm dark together with I'm beautiful," together with this self-affirmation is the dark man's need, made compelling past times the white man's crimes against him.

BASIC CHALLENGES

Another basic challenge is to discovery how to organize our strength inwards damage of economical together with political power. No 1 tin deny that the Negro is inwards dire demand of this form of legitimate power. Indeed, 1 of the swell problems that the Negro confronts is his lack of power. From onetime plantations of the South to newer ghettos of the North, the Negro has been confined to a life of voicelessness together with powerlessness. Stripped of the right to create decisions concerning his life together with destiny he has been dependent area to the authoritarian together with sometimes whimsical decisions of this white powerfulness structure. The plantation together with ghetto were created past times those who had power, both to confine those who had no powerfulness together with to perpetuate their powerlessness. The job of transforming the ghetto, therefore, is a job of power--confrontation of the forces of powerfulness demanding alter together with the forces of powerfulness dedicated to the preserving of the status quo. Now powerfulness properly understood is aught but the powerfulness to attain purpose. It is the strength required to convey virtually social, political together with economical change. Walter Reuther defined powerfulness 1 day. He said, "Power is the powerfulness of a labor spousal human relationship similar the U.A.W. to create the most powerful corporation inwards the world, General Motors, tell 'Yes' when it wants to tell 'No.' That's power."

Now a lot of us are preachers, together with all of us select our moral convictions together with concerns, together with and so oft select problems with power. There is aught incorrect with powerfulness if powerfulness is used correctly. You see, what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base. And 1 of the swell problems of history is that the concepts of dear together with powerfulness select ordinarily been contrasted as opposites - polar opposites, together with so that dear is identified with a resignation of power, together with powerfulness with a denial of love.

It was this misinterpretation that caused Nietzsche, who was a philosopher of the volition to power, to pass upwards the Christian concept of love. It was this same misinterpretation which induced Christian theologians to pass upwards the Nietzschean philosophy of the volition to powerfulness inwards the advert of the Christian thought of love. Now, we've got to larn this thing right. What is needed is a realization that powerfulness without dear is reckless together with abusive, together with dear without powerfulness is sentimental together with anemic. Power at its best is dear implementing the demands of justice, together with justice at its best is powerfulness correcting everything that stands against love. And this is what nosotros must come across as nosotros displace on. What has happened is that nosotros select had it incorrect together with confused inwards our ain country, together with this has led Negro Americans inwards the past times to seek their goals through powerfulness devoid of dear together with conscience.

This is leading a few extremists today to advocate for Negroes the same destructive together with conscienceless powerfulness that they select justly abhorred inwards whites. It is just this collision of immoral powerfulness with powerless morality which constitutes the major crisis of our times.

DEVELOPING Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 PROGRAM?

We must develop a programme that volition drive the nation to a guaranteed annual income. Now, early on inwards this century this proposal would select been greeted with ridicule together with denunciation, as destructive of first together with responsibility. At that fourth dimension economical status was considered the stair out of the individual's powerfulness together with talents. And, inwards the thinking of that day, the absence of worldly goods indicated a wishing of industrious habits together with moral fiber. We've come upwards a long way inwards our agreement of human motivation together with of the blind functioning of our economical system. Now nosotros realize that dislocations inwards the marketplace operations of our economic scheme together with the prevalence of discrimination thrust people into idleness together with bind them inwards constant or frequent unemployment against their will. Today the poor are less oft dismissed, I hope, from our consciences past times beingness branded as inferior or incompetent. We also know that no affair how dynamically the economic scheme develops together with expands, it does non eliminate all poverty.

The job indicates that our emphasis must live twofold. We must create total work or nosotros must create incomes. People must live made consumers past times 1 method or the other. Once they are placed inwards this seat nosotros demand to live concerned that the potential of the private is non wasted. New forms of function that heighten the social practiced volition select to live devised for those for whom traditional jobs are non available. In I879 Henry George anticipated this province of affairs when he wrote inwards Progress together with Poverty:

"The fact is that the function which improves the status of mankind, the function which extends cognition together with increases powerfulness together with enriches literature together with elevates thought, is non done to secure a living. It is non the function of slaves driven to their tasks either past times the task, past times the taskmaster, or past times beast necessity. It is the function of men who somehow observe a cast of function that brings a safety for its ain sake together with a province of guild where wishing is abolished."

Work of this sort could live enormously increased, together with nosotros are probable to observe that the problems of housing together with education, instead of preceding the elimination of poverty, volition themselves live affected if poverty is showtime abolished. The poor transformed into purchasers volition make a swell bargain on their ain to alter housing decay. Negroes who select a double disability volition select a greater upshot on discrimination when they select the additional weapon of cash to utilisation inwards their struggle.

Beyond these advantages, a host of positive psychological changes inevitably volition outcome from widespread economical security. The dignity of the private volition flourish when the decisions concerning his life are inwards his ain hands, when he has the agency to seek self-improvement. Personal conflicts alongside husbands, wives together with children volition diminish when the unjust measure of human worth on the scale of dollars is eliminated.

Now our solid soil tin make this. John Kenneth Galbraith said that a guaranteed annual income could live done for virtually 20 billion dollars a year. And I tell to you lot today, that if our nation tin pass thirty-five billion dollars a twelvemonth to grapple an unjust, evil state of war inwards Vietnam, together with 20 billion dollars to set a human being on the moon, it tin pass billions of dollars to set God's children on their ain 2 feet right hither on earth.

COMMITMENT TO NONVIOLENCE? 

Now, allow me tell briefly that nosotros must reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence. I wishing to stress this. The futility of violence inwards the struggle for racial justice has been tragically etched inwards all the recent Negro riots. Yesterday, I tried to analyze the riots together with bargain with their causes. Today I wishing to give the other side. There is sure as shooting something painfully poor virtually a riot. One sees screaming youngsters together with angry adults fighting hopelessly together with aimlessly against impossible odds. And deep downwards inside them, you lot tin fifty-fifty come across a wishing for self-destruction, a form of suicidal longing.

Occasionally Negroes debate that the 1965 Watts riot together with the other riots inwards diverse cities represented effective civil rights action. But those who limited this see ever terminate upwards with stumbling words when asked what concrete gains select been won as a result. At best, the riots select produced a niggling additional antipoverty coin allotted past times frightened authorities officials, together with a few water-sprinklers to cool the children of the ghettos. It is something similar improving the nutrient inwards the prison theater spell the people stay securely incarcerated behind bars. Nowhere select the riots won whatsoever concrete improvement such as select the organized protestation demonstrations. When 1 tries to pivot downwards advocates of violence as to what acts would live effective, the answers are blatantly illogical. Sometimes they utter of overthrowing racist province together with local governments together with they utter virtually guerrilla warfare. They neglect to come across that no internal revolution has ever succeeded inwards overthrowing a authorities past times violence unless the authorities had already lost the allegiance together with effective command of its armed forces. Anyone inwards his right hear knows that this volition non hit off inwards the United States. In a vehement racial situation, the powerfulness construction has the local police, the province troopers, the National Guard and, finally, the Army to telephone call upwards on all of which are predominantly white. Furthermore, few if whatsoever vehement revolutions select been successful unless the vehement minority had the sympathy together with back upwards of the nonresistant majority. Castro may select had entirely a few Cubans genuinely fighting with him upwards inwards the hills, but he could never select overthrown the Batista regime unless he had the sympathy of the vast bulk of Cuban people.

It is perfectly clear that a vehement revolution on the business office of American blacks would observe no sympathy together with back upwards from the white population together with really niggling from the bulk of the Negroes themselves. This is no fourth dimension for romantic illusions together with empty philosophical debates virtually freedom. This is a fourth dimension for action. What is needed is a strategy for change, a tactical programme that volition convey the Negro into the mainstream of American life as rapidly as possible. So far, this has entirely been offered past times the nonviolent movement. Without recognizing this nosotros volition terminate upwards with solutions that don't solve, answers that don't respond together with explanations that don't explain.

And together with so I tell to you lot today that I soundless stand upwards past times nonviolence. And I am soundless convinced that it is the most strong weapon available to the Negro inwards his struggle for justice inwards this country. And the other thing is that I am concerned virtually a ameliorate world. I'm concerned virtually justice. I'm concerned virtually brotherhood. I'm concerned virtually truth. And when 1 is concerned virtually these, he tin never advocate violence. For through violence you lot may murder a murderer but you lot can't murder. Through violence you lot may murder a liar but you lot can't flora truth. Through violence you lot may murder a hater, but you lot can't murder hate. Darkness cannot publish darkness. Only lite tin make that.

And I tell to you, I select also decided to stick to love. For I know that dear is ultimately the entirely respond to mankind's problems. And I'm going to utter virtually it everywhere I go. I know it isn't pop to utter virtually it inwards some circles today. I'm non talking virtually emotional bosh when I utter virtually love, I'm talking virtually a strong, demanding love. And I select seen likewise much hate. I've seen likewise much detest on the faces of sheriffs inwards the South. I've seen detest on the faces of likewise many Klansmen together with likewise many White Citizens Councilors inwards the South to wishing to detest myself, because every fourth dimension I come across it, I know that it does something to their faces together with their personalities together with I tell to myself that detest is likewise swell a burden to bear. I select decided to love. If you lot are seeking the highest good, I think you lot tin observe it through love. And the beautiful thing is that nosotros are moving against incorrect when nosotros make it, because John was right, God is love. He who hates does non know God, but he who has dear has the fundamental that unlocks the door to the pregnant of ultimate reality.

I wishing to tell to you lot as I displace to my conclusion, as nosotros utter virtually "Where make nosotros travel from here," that nosotros honestly human face the fact that the Movement must address itself to the interrogation of restructuring the whole of American society. There are 40 1000000 poor people here. And 1 24-hour interval nosotros must inquire the question, "Why are in that location 40 1000000 poor people inwards America?" And when you lot start to inquire that question, you lot are raising questions virtually the economical system, virtually a broader distribution of wealth. When you lot inquire that question, you lot start to interrogation the capitalistic economy. And I'm only maxim that to a greater extent than together with more, we've got to start to inquire questions virtually the whole society. We are called upon to assist the discouraged beggars inwards life's marketplace place. But 1 24-hour interval nosotros must come upwards to come across that an building which produces beggars needs restructuring. It agency that questions must live raised. You see, my friends, when you lot bargain with this, you lot start to inquire the question, "Who owns the oil?" You start to inquire the question, "Who owns the atomic issue 26 ore?" You start to inquire the question, "Why is it that people select to pay H2O bills inwards a world that is 2 thirds water?" These are questions that must live asked.

ABOUT COMMUNISM

Now, don't think that you lot select me inwards a "bind" today. I'm non talking virtually Communism.

What I'm maxim to you lot this forenoon is that Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social, together with the Kingdom of Brotherhood is found neither inwards the thesis of Communism nor the antithesis of capitalism but inwards a higher synthesis. It is found inwards a higher synthesis that combines the truths of both. Now, when I tell interrogation the whole society, it agency ultimately coming to come across that the job of racism, the job of economical exploitation, together with the job of state of war are all tied together. These are the triple evils that are interrelated.

If you lot volition allow me live a preacher just a niggling flake - One night, a juror came to Jesus together with he wanted to know what he could make to live saved. Jesus didn't larn bogged downwards inwards the form of isolated approach of what he shouldn't do. Jesus didn't say, "Now Nicodemus, you lot must halt lying." HE didn't say, "Nicodemus, you lot must halt cheating if you lot are doing that." He didn't say, "Nicodemus, you lot must non commit adultery." He didn't say, "Nicodemus, straight off you lot must halt drinking liquor if you lot are doing that excessively." He said something altogether different, because Jesus realized something basic - that if a human being volition lie, he volition steal. And if a human being volition steal, he volition kill. So instead of just getting bogged downwards inwards 1 thing, Jesus looked at him together with said, "Nicodemus, you lot must live born again."

He said, inwards other words, "Your whole construction must live changed." Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 nation that volition maintain people inwards slavery for 244 years volition "thingify" them - create them things. Therefore they volition exploit them, together with poor people generally, economically. And a nation that volition exploit economically volition select to select unusual investments together with everything else, together with volition select to utilisation its armed forces powerfulness to protect them. All of these problems are tied together. What I am maxim today is that nosotros must travel from this convention together with say, "America, you lot must live born again!"

CONCLUSION

So, I conclude past times maxim in 1 lawsuit again today that nosotros select a undertaking together with allow us exit with a "divine dissatisfaction." Let us live dissatisfied until America volition no longer select a high blood pressure level of creeds together with an anemia of deeds. Let us live dissatisfied until the tragic walls that split upwards the outer urban gist of wealth together with comfort together with the inner urban gist of poverty together with despair shall live crushed past times the battering rams of the forces of justice. [,et us live dissatisfied until those that alive on the outskirts of promise are brought into the metropolis of daily security. Let us live dissatisfied until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history, together with every menage unit of measurement is living inwards a decent sanitary home. Let us live dissatisfied until the dark yesterdays of segregated schools volition live transformed into vivid tomorrows of quality, integrated education. Let us live dissatisfied until integration is non seen as a job but as an chance to participate inwards the beauty of diversity. Let us live dissatisfied until men together with women, withal dark they may be, volition live judged on the soil of the content of their grapheme together with non on the soil of the coloring of their skin. Let us live dissatisfied. Let us live dissatisfied until every province capitol houses a governor who volition make justly, who volition dear mercy together with who volition walk humbly with his God. Let us live dissatisfied until from every urban gist hall, justice volition ringlet downwards similar waters together with righteousness similar a mighty stream. Let us live dissatisfied until that 24-hour interval when the Panthera leo together with the lamb shall prevarication downwards together. together with every human being volition sit down nether his ain vine together with fig tree together with none shall live afraid. Let us live dissatisfied. And men volition recognize that out of 1 blood God made all men to dwell upon the human face of the earth. Let us live dissatisfied until that 24-hour interval when nobody volition scream "White Power!" - when nobody volition scream "Black Power!" - but everybody volition utter virtually God's powerfulness together with human power.

I must confess, my friends, the route ahead volition non ever live smooth. There volition soundless live rocky places of frustration together with meandering points of bewilderment. There volition live inevitable setbacks hither together with there. There volition live those moments when the buoyancy of promise volition live transformed into the fatigue of despair. Our dreams volition sometimes live shattered together with our ethereal hopes blasted. We may in 1 lawsuit again with tear-drenched eyes select to stand upwards earlier the bier of some courageous civil-rights worker whose life volition live snuffed out past times the dastardly acts of bloodthirsty mobs. Difficult together with painful as it is, nosotros must walk on inwards the days ahead with an audacious faith inwards the future. And as nosotros travel along our charted course, nosotros may gain consolation inwards the words together with so nobly left past times that swell dark bard who was also a swell liberty fighter of yesterday, James Weldon Johnson:

Stony the route nosotros trod,
Bitter the chastening rod
Felt inwards the days
When promise unborn had died.
Yet with a steady beat,
Have non our weary feet
Come to the place
For which our fathers sighed?
We select come upwards over the way
That with tears hath been watered.
We select come upwards treading our paths
Through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till straight off nosotros stand upwards at last
Where the vivid gleam
Of our vivid star is cast.

Let this affirmation live our ringing cry. It volition give us the courage to human face the uncertainties of the future. It volition give our tired feet novel strength as nosotros travel along our frontward footstep toward the urban gist of freedom. When our days travel dreary with depression hovering clouds of despair, together with when our nights travel darker than a grand midnights, allow us think that in that location is a creative strength inwards this universe, working to describe downwards the gigantic mountains of evil, a powerfulness that is able to create a way out of no way together with transform dark yesterdays into vivid tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.

Let us realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: "Truth crushed to Earth volition ascent again." Let us exit realizing that the Bible is right: "Be non deceived, God is non mocked. Whatsoever a human being soweth, that shall he also reap." This is our promise for the future, together with with this faith nosotros volition live able to sing inwards some non likewise distant tomorrow with a cosmic past times tense, "We select overcome, nosotros select overcome, deep inwards my heart, I did believe nosotros would overcome."