On the Topic of the Civil Rights Movement

Civil Rights Journal entries

 

On civil rights

Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech delivered on August 28, 1963 during the march on Washington is one of the most evocative and inspirational speeches I have ever heard.

"…This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity."

    This quote reminds me of how Jews saw the United States after the great traumas and horrors of the Holocaust; as a beacon of freedom and hope. Just like African Americans, Jews have been persecuted for centuries. Even after the establishment of the State of Israel, Jews were still not free. In many Arab countries they faced harsh repressive laws like what African Americans experienced in the south. Many times, the Jewish people have found itself in exile in its own land especially during the many centuries that the Holy Land was under foreign rule. Consequently, for those who survived the holocaust, the establishment of the State of Israel was a joyous daybreak after a long night of oppression and captivity. Similarly, when slavery ended in the South the freemen must have seen the Union presence as a chance for a new beginning. It is unfortunate that this new hope was short lived. This country had a chance to put an end to the dark night of oppression and hatred but instead legalized segregation and supported prejudice. Who knows where our country would be know if the battle for civil rights had taken center stage in the late 1860s and early 1870s rather than in the 1950 and 1960s. I believe that if the struggle for civil rights had taken place in earnest during Reconstruction this country would be a more just place than it is today. I also believe that if this had happened progress would have been made on achieving civil rights for other groups and minorities. 

I feel that Jews have a special obligation to help African Americans in their struggle for equality. In the liturgy of the week day morning service (the Yihi Ratzon said after the Torah Reading), we pray for God to help those in peril and captivity, "May God be merciful to our fellow Jews who suffer imprisonment or persecution on land or at sea. May the Omnipotent soon bring them relief from distress and deliver them from darkness to light, from subjugation to redemption soon and in our time and let us say Amen."

 

"…Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood."

I believe that all people no matter what they believe or look like or worship are God's children and therefore created equal and have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As a Jew, I believe that we must strive to eliminate injustice in this country. Peace will only come when we can appreciate that everyone is unique and that you skin color or religion don't matter. What matters are what you stand for and your actions. 

"We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. …No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
 

This reminds me of a song by Debbie Friedman-"not by might and not by power but by spirit alone shall we all live in peace." It also reminds me of a Biblical quote- Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn to make war. I believe that King meant that the struggle for equality must be conducted peacefully- in other words don't fight fire with fire. By meeting physical force with non-violence he showed the nation and the world that justice is stronger than guns and police. I believe that many nations must learn that no matter how cruelly they oppress those seeking their freedom they will ultimately loose. Freedom and liberty must ultimately win over violence and war. Only when the oppressed multitudes worlds wide are free can we live in peace. Only when nations stop fighting for political advantage and unify to help other will we live in a world of true peace. As a Jew I believe that we must work to achieve an end to war, violence and oppression. I also believe that eventually during the time of the Messiah, justice will flow like water and engulf the entire earth. Peace and righteousness will spread like wild fire. But this time of eternal peace will only come when war no longer rages and when oppressive leaders no longer rule. 

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

"With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."

"This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

"When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

On broken promises and cashed checks 

During World War I, many US troops were promised a bonus for fighting. After the War, thousands of veterans marched on Washington D.C. demanding their promised bonus. They were therefore called the Bonus Army. This reminds me of a section of Martin Luther King Junior's famous I Have A Dream Speech. The text of the speech that this reminds me of goes as follows, 

"In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

"But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice." 

I see a parallel between what the Bonus marches wanted and what MLK mentions. The parallel is a check or promissory note that was written but defaulted on. In the case of the Bonus Army, they were promised a bonus pay for fighting and several years after the war still hadn't received the promised bonus pay. In the case of African Americans, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence guaranteed all Americans black and white the "Inalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
According to King, America has defaulted on this promise and rather than honoring this obligation and promise has given blacks a bad check. This check has been returned and marked "insufficient funds."
King then continues by saying that he refuses to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. Women must have felt similarly before the 19^th amendment was passed. African Americans are just starting to campaign for their rights and slowly starting to make progress. They on the other hand have been treated better than African Americans but were still second class citizens. They couldn't vote, they couldn't run for elected office, they were paid less than men, they had limited job opportunities. I am surprised that the Women's suffrage movement didn't come into being earlier. 

    During the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl that preceded it many people lost their jobs and were struggling to survive. In order to survive they had to help themselves and help others with the hope that the favor will be reciprocated. This reminds me of the relationship between General Sherman and his troops. After the Civil War, when his troops hit hard times they would come to him asking him if he could help them out. He would reply that they had helped him in his time of trouble and would help them in their time of trouble. This reminds me of Psalm 121, specifically verses 1-3. The text of the psalm goes as follows, "A song of ascents. 2. I lift my eyes to the mountains - from where will my help come? 3. My help will come from the L-rd, Maker of heaven and earth." This message must have had a comforting affect on the ancient Israelites since during those days God either helped or punished the Israelites depending on their actions. Now this same message might have less meaning since God has not openly preformed miracles which might cause us to doubt God's power in the world.

 

I happened to look at Martin Luther King Junior's I have a Dream speech and noticed some similarities in one section to this psalm. King says that, "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children." The first sentence conjures up the image of being in the dark valley of segregation which in prophetic terms would be the valley of deepest sadness/ the valley of the shadow of death. Then God brings you to green pastures in a place of calm and comfort. This to me can signify going from the darkness of segregation to the light of equality.

 

The next part of the psalm that I will analyzer goes as follows, "He will not let your foot falter; your guardian does not slumber. 5. Indeed, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. 6. The L-rd is your guardian; the L-rd is your protective shade at your right hand. 7. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 8. The L-rd will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul. 9. The L-rd will guard your going and your coming from now and for all time." The part about the Guardian of Israel Not slumbering or sleeping evokes yet another part of Luther King Junior's I have a Dream speech which goes as follows, "And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights." Here, King seems to have either been inspired by this psalm or been adapting it to fit his needs. Both the psalm and king mention neither rest nor sleep or in kings case, tranquility. I can understand why King would be inspired by this text. First, it portrays God as a guardian who is always on watch and will not allow us to falter. It further says that God will guard us from all evil and protect us in our travels. If I were King, I would certainly want God to grant me this protection since he faced constant dangers and challenges. King was true to his word that there will not be tranquility until African Americans and blacks receive their citizenship rights. Even though he did not live to see the fulfillment of his dream he did see great progress being made toward achieving his dream. And when he fell trying to achieve his dream others took his place and continued his quest.