This
Week's
Topic:		 If Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive today, during the upcoming year (1998), he would focus most of his time on ... ?



Name: april crump
Email: april_crump@nt.com
Response: I think that the most important thing he would focus on would be us as a people becoming more self-educated. Getting back to our spiritual roots and beliefs, and most of all unity. We are always talking about unity, but when we get with other African-Americans, we clam up. It is always a contest. Who is best and what not. We need to start extending ourselves to one another. Whether it is at the grocery store, or in an elevator. We need to express our black pride by just saying Hello and letting others know that we to want our communities and relations to be stronger and better. I was on a plane last night and I saw three complete strangers just talking and laughing with one another. White people are comfortable with one another and open up like that. We have got to be the first to open our mouths and say hello. I work in a predominately white office and I make it a point when traveling with my group to go out of my way to talk to each and everyone one of my people I can. I do it on a regular basis anyway, but I make sure they notice, because I want them to know that I am proud of all my people and myself. Whether the person I speaks to is a CEO or the cleaning woman at the airport I make sure I speak. Start making this a point people. We have to start opening up communication. You never know who you might meet and need in the future.


Name: Randall
Email: B1More1@aol.com
Response: INI360 echos my sentiments. Dr. King would have partnered with Farrakan. They would be comparing notes regarding Africa. He would nurture a relationship with Farrakan that would demonstrate the hippocracy of allowing religious affiliation to weaken our community/family. He would call on each of us to listen to the small still voice within. He would continue to teach that non-violent warfare is a demonstration of self control. He could easily support his view with statistics that include crimes of passion. He would teach that replacing our emotional responses with composure and progressive thought is the only way to advance our people. He would question America on her use of Black Men for the Military Front line and the Winter time soup lines. Dr. king would want to know why does sending rockets to the moon have a higher priority then feed people. Dr. King would ask Black People why have you directed your children to jobs instead of business. Surely, Dr King would reminded us that there is a God. The spirit of God would overcome him and he would continue by restating "there is a God that makes the wounded whole, there is a God to heals the sin sick soul." If would remind us that all humans are equal. To the question of what makes us equal he would respond " the breath of life." Next he would say listen to that still small voice it's God.


Name: Felicia Robinson
Email: c640437
Response: *More unity among Afican-Americans


Name: simon
Email: eimonzealot@hotmail.com
Response: If Dr. King were alive, he would be doing the same thing he has always done. The right thing, the right way for the right reason, expecting the right results to benefit all and glorify God. Since Dr. King is not alive, the question really is: What will you focus on in 1998? peace.


Name: Peter AbdulAzziz Stewart III
Email: pstewart@house.state.ms.us
Response: If Dr. King was alive today, his number one focus would be economic change in the black community. I really doubt that he would agree with present civil rights activists continuing struggle to fight prejudice. I also doubt he would make it the full-time effort of the NAACP to fight racism. He would battle the fires of overt racism wherever it would spring up its ugly head but I feel that he just would not devote his entire resources, time and energies toward changing the way prejudiced white people feel about black people and I don't think he would use those same energies and resources to fight Marge Schott for calling black ballplayers niggers. I really feel that even with his socialist philosophies about America having enough money to make sure everybody lived in a nice home and ate good meals no matter what job they worked, Dr. King would see that the true next frontier of freedom for black people to conquer would be the free-enterprise system. Dr. King would see that blacks must control their wealth. I don't think that he would agree with black people spending eighty percent (80%) of their money in the white community and blacks not having any major banks to speak of. Dr. King saw the necessity of black people controlling their political futures. Did he fight for our right to vote so that we could elect only white candidates? So why should one think that Dr. King fought for our right to sit at any luch counter or any other business just so that we could close down all of our black owned businesses and spend every dime we made with white people? Was this the reason why he oversaw the signing of a civil rights act that prohibited employment discrimination so that we could get good jobs working with white folks so we could spend every dollar in the we make working for white folks back in the white community? Today this problem is more exasperated by the fact that in many urban communities across the nation, whites have moved out of the cities and into outlying suburbs which exist in different tax districts from the predominantly black inner cities. Almost every state in the union is broken up into sections called "counties", and in the majority of these states it is either the county or the municipality that collects the property taxes which fund the school system. This is why in the eighty's Mr. Sobol's book on America's newly segregated school system was so popular. Inner city schools exist in areas where the tax base is diminishing; white schools exist in suburban counties where the population is busting because of white flight. These counties can therefore use their high growth rate and increasing property tax revenue to float bond issues to build schools of high caliber and pay teachers better salaries. Municipal school districts have to fight city hall to increase their budgets. So why do we black folks spend so much money in the white community and then complain that our schools are dilapadated and filled with burned-out substituted teachers? Ever notice the traffic into your city in the morning and headed out of your city after five o'clock (5:00 p.m.)? White folk in them cars, ain't it? They make their money working in the city, but when they drive home to those outlying counties, where do they spend it? So why do you get up on Saturday morning just to drive to that new mall that they built for themselves to spend your money? Is it because the brand new mostly white mall is nicer and cleaner, and the service is better? Of course it is, that mall is brand new! Let me ask you another question: Is your inner-city mall filled with stores now owned by foreigners? Iranians the only folks selling gold jewelry and three-piece suits with the shirt, tie and cologne to match? Guess where foreigners send their money they make off of you; that's right, back home where the exchange rate is sometimes five rupies to one american dollar and the average yearly income is five hundred dollars ($500.00) per year. Now, let' wrap this up with a quick overview: The condition of black america is getting frayed at the ends but still in fair enough shape to get by; we are the largest prison population but our teenage pregnancy rate is going down; we make more money now than ever as a race of people, but a dollar circulates only once in the black community. So, all throughout the black community everthing right now is pretty fair. But if you look deeper you can see that the foundation of our community is not a stable one. Our economics leaves much to be desired. We do not have enough control of the economics in our community to be able to exert any economic strength, and therefore we cannot enjoy any semblance of economic freedom. One of the threats that white folk made to black people who went down to the courthouse to register to vote was that if they did they would lose their jobs. Blacks who relied on those white employers for the means with which to feed their families could never be brave enough to watch their children go hungry. So they did not vote. That's why preachers and teacher became such role models: only the church and the state could fire them. The preacher was employed by a black congregation and the state was the one the president was sending federal troops down to make sure that it acted right. Students with no jobs made up the rest of the bulk of the civil rights movement. Where do we go from here? Economic freedom. Economic respect. Economic self-determination. That's where we must go. Peace.


Name: Candace Wells
Email: aleves@villageNet.com
Response: Dr. King would place his energies on 1) Developing ways to provide youth with a more focus and positive direction and more positive ways to express such direction (e.g. using rap to connect all youth more uplifting messges & songs highlighting our great heritage. Can you envision what our talented youth would do with a Harriet Tubman rap focusing on her life and accomplishments?Dr. King would also focus on helping all to develop and understand the need for short & long term goals. When we work on setting goals to uplift ourselves as individuals it most certainly impacts "the whole"Thirdly, Dr. King would continue our united "voice" for changing all the evils imposed upon our race.Peace & Blessings


Name: candance
Email: aleves@villageNet.com
Response: Dr. King would place his energies on 1) Developing ways to provide youth with a more focus and positive direction and more positive ways to express such direction (e.g. using rap to connect all youth more uplifting messges & songs highlighting our great heritage. Can you envision what our talented youth would do with a Harriet Tubman rap focusing on her life and accomplishments?Dr. King would also focus on helping all to develop and understand the need for short & long term goals. When we work on setting goals to uplift ourselves as individuals it most certainly impacts "the whole"Thirdly, Dr. King would continue our united "voice" for changing all the evils imposed upon our race.Peace & Blessings


Name: SJW
Email:
Response: I think Dr. King would focus on how we need to find ourselves spiritually... I am most troubled by the lack of spiritual focus in our lives (including my own). I hope we can find our way back from the gadgets to God.


Name: Kawezya Hutchinson
Email: KawezyaOGC@mailexcite.com
Response: whoever said that no way king would be part of the Nation of Islam! but anyways, I think that Dr. King would be upset at the number of blacks (in the words of Rayna) that continue to be slaves to themselves when the fight against oppression has already been won. Many black youth choose not to educate themselves, just choose the wrong path in general. I think that instead we need to rise above the sterotypes instead of continuing to blame "the man" for mistakes that are continuing to be made. HE WOULD SAY, it is time to stop the killing, stop the crimes, stop the lack of education, the teen pregnancy, and its time to take advantage of the tools we are able to use to get ahead.The way that too many black youth are wasting their lives today is a disgrace to the black race as a whole, and i think that DR. King wouldn't be too happy about the situation today. He didn't shed his blood for what we are giving him now. ITS TIME TO DO BETTER. Thank you.


Name: Joan Davis
Email: joandavis@altabates.com
Response: Race relations would still be his focus. I have always believed he would want more tranquility amongst the races. Not thedevisiveness that still exists in our country.He would probably start with the medias portrayal of the races in the media.


Name: SR Thomas
Email: sthomas18@hotmail.com
Response: Last year I was a pessimist. In 1998 I'd like to think of myself as a "realist." At any rate, here goes... Given the ineffectual, apathetic, disorganized state of the so-called Black community (African-American or whatever we go by these days), I think that Dr. King would probably suffer the same fate as Rev. Jesse Jackson. Meaning, he would not wield the kind of power he had in the 60s--the ability to move and inspire us into collective action, although I believe we can all take the blame for this. Before I go on, let me give my disclaimer. I don't mean any disrepect, but when I think of our so-called black leaders (and those got-a-book-out-every-week-but-still-ain't-said-nothin'-we-ain't-heard-before black intellectuals of the Ivory towers, don't count), the only name that comes to mind is Jackson--and unfortunately, that isn't saying much these days. While he is a nationally recognized 'political'figure and I respect his courage and fortitude, I do not think he has managed to present himself to the generations that have followed him as particularly relevant to our struggles today. Why would I say something so dastardly as that? 1) He doesn't appear to have a focused agenda. 2) What exactly does theRainbow Coalition do these days? (it's almost as if he's become THE "outraged Negro" for hire, by DEFAULT, of course) and 3)Though many of us might not want to admit it, we think he's full of s--t. While I readily admit that it is not exactly fair to compare the Dr. King to Rev. Jackson, as King had a leadership style quite different from Jackson's bombastic histrionics, I mentionJackson only to make this point. I guess I went there to go here: It really doesn't matter if it's Jesse Jackson, Dr. King, or the messiah come down itself, too many of us have not yet appreciated the fact that because of our history in this nation, because of the fact that we REALLY ARE the minority in this overwhelmingly white nation (you know, I really think the media has succeeded in convincing both blacks and whites that there really are NAUGHTY NEGROES walking down EVERY Main Street in America, waiting to do mischief...it's just not possible, there are TOO FEW of us to be on every street in the nation), it is only when recognize that "yes, our livelihood as a people depends on our ability to come together and make some personal and financial sacrifices so we can do this..." Unfortunately, too many of us have already given up the ghost...we believe that we will never amount to nothin', so why try? We'd rather throw down than get down to the matter at hand: PROGRESSING... Maybe it's just a matter of semantics. I mean, one person's idea of progress could be putting gold rims on their ghettoized-Lexus, rather than building a young girl's self-esteem or being a good mother/father to their children, or anything that goes beyond the realm of the material. Until we do this we will continue to be considered an overwhelmingly shiftless and trifling people (despite all of our contributions and accomplishments in this life thus far...). I really hate to say this, but King's power would probably be equally limited, though not necessarily for the same reasons. Prior to his assassination, Dr. King began focusing on the conditions of the poor of BOTH races and began calling blacks and whites to re-examine the dismal economic \policies of the nation TOGETHER. He also did not support the Vietnam War. If he were alive today, I think King would focus on how to make our capitalistic country work for all its citizens (though I won't attempt to suggest thatI have any idea how this is to be done without dramatically changing the nature of the beast.... I think King would not support all of the mini-wars the US is perpetrating around the world. He'd probably be issuing a serious wake-up call for the millenium, and by the way, he'd be sorely disappointed to see what a selfish, shallow, live-for-the-moment, ignorant lot of people we have become. Ok, so I'm being heavy-handed here, but when I look at my so-called educated comrades not doing a damn thing for anyone besides themselves, I get pissed. And when I listen to the shallow beats of don't-give-a-damn-'bout-nothin'hip-hoppers, I get reallll discouraged. Yes, King would probably be called upon everytime one of us got beat-down in the street by the police, and we'd see his noble face in live-shots and hear his thunderous voice in 5 second sound bytes on the evening news, and Clinton would make him an honorary something or other, and he'd have a youth center, and do the university fellow thing, etc., etc. But do I think most of us silly Negroes today would give a d--n? Nope. Unfortunately not.


Name: L.Wicks
Email: LxxW@aol.com
Response: I believe Dr. King would be upset at how a number of blacks feel that they have their's and that others in the race now need to get their's on their own. A number of people have forgotten that they were able to get where they are today because of the help of others. I feel Dr. King would lobby people in the sports & entainment fields to do more. I believe Dr. King would again try to get us speak as one voice so we all can live the american dream.


Name: Cathy
Email:
Response: I think Dr. King would focus on education, trying to bring true equality to all students, regardless of location or economic level. All young people deserve a quality education, in small classes, with up-to-date books, modern technological resources, qualified teachers, and in a safe environment. Only then will our future truly change so that his dream can be fulfilled.


Name: Christine Noble
Email: christine_noble@hotmail.com
Response: I think that Dr.King would focus his energy on continuing his fight for the end of racism and human rights. I feel that many people have lost sight of his vision, and they tend to forget that it was a long hard march to the level that we are at now. I think if more people were like him and adopted his way of living things in this world would be bearable for people of all walks of life.


Name: Fern C
Email:
Response: The great Martin Luther King Jr. would be focused on education. However, after years of struggle and decline in the public school systems accross this country, he would know that private education is the best chance our children have. Dr. King would know that in order for us to succeed, we must begin with our children. Dr. King, who was a victim, but an ultimate winner in the segregated school system knew that Black children have not realistically been given an equitable beginning in the classroom. He would work hard to help us all understand that we must educate our children in our homes and in our houses of worship. He would work to convince each and every one of us to dedicate our resources to educating children even if we don't have any living with us. He knew that it not only takes a village to raise a child, but to also educate a child.


Name: Charles Muhammad
Email: cmuhammad000@ameritech.net
Response: I think if King were alive today I think he would be a part of the Nation of Islam.


Name: Rita T.
Email:
Response: I believe that Dr. King's focus today would be the unification of our people. He would stand againts black-on-black crimes, gang violence, drug & alcohol abuse and other factors that hinder our race. Dr. King was one of the Lord's disciple who was sent here for a short time to guide and direct us in the path of love, peace and togetherness. As long as we stand divided, how can we ever truly be united? Walk in the Light my brothers and sisters, and remember, if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything. Then - we will be FREE AT LAST! Let the Light of the Lord lead you.


Name: Michael
Email: michaeledwards@worldnet.att .net
Response: I think some of the issues on the table today would have been addressed already if Martin was alive today. I think we would be in a more implementation mode that we are today. Our elected officials would be of a different mindset I believe. Jesse Jackson would a much better representative for us, that is if were even in the limelight. I think it would be very difficult for Martin to come off of his posiition if not impossible. He was truly a man of the cloth. And with so much information now being made available, "yes" even the contention that Jesus was Black. I don't think Martin would adapt. His I have a dream speech addressed economics and it was lost and continues to be lost on a generation. And let's not even talk about the issues we have with people of african heritage coming to this country and viewing us as the enemy. Martin would be pushing understanding each other and getting along. Unfortunately we are the only ones trying to get along and we are standing on shaky ground while making the ground a lot firmer for everyone else. Peace


Name: Jeffrey Woodyard
Email: aadjlw@gsu.edu
Response: It seems to me Dr. King would have been elected to the U.S. Senate or have been appointed to a position in the Clinton Administraiton Cabinet. His focus would be on moderate (on the conservative/liberal continuum) platform aimed at revising the healthcare, welfare and trade proposal we have seen before the legislature.


Name: Philip Carney
Email: pjcarney@worldnet.att.net
Response: The Black Soldier during the Spanish AmericanWar.


Name: SMA
Email: Nilelotuses@webtv.net
Response: Black economic empowerment, I believe would be Dr. Kings focus. His mainstay was equality, education and jobs. With the overwhelming number of people loosing their means of making a living thru "downsizing" etc. he would see that we need to create our own economic security; build black businesses so that we can build the schools we need and function on an equal basis with anyone else. We can no longer depend on "Others" to "give" us jobs especially when they are going to other countries for cheaper labor. We have built our own economic structures before right here in this country and we can do it again!


Name: L. Collins
Email: wilshant@aol.com
Response: If Dr. King were alive today, his focus in 1998 would be crimes by young blacks. There is a serious problem in our society today. Young blacks are killing at a staggering rate. He would also focus on education, which is the main cause for this rise in crime. Too many of our young people are forgotten in the field of education. He would also focus on unity within the black community.


Name: Frances Murphy
Email: FrankieLou@aol.com
Response: I somehow cannot envision Dr.King in today's complex "I love you hate you world." world. Times were different in the sixties. Our problems today are just as much within as without. We need to get our heads together in order to face the world. In the sixties, we had the cohesiveness but lacked the drive. Dr. King gave us that drive to fight back without violence. Today, the one rallying cry is "by any means necessary." Could Dr.King live with that? I don't know.


Name: Serious in Chicago
Email:
Response: All of the previous responses are right on. Additionally, I think that Dr. King would remind us that we need to seek God again. We as a people appear to have turned our backs on He who brought us out of the fire. I know that we still fill the churches, but not to the extent we used to. We also tolerate much more from our children and young adults than we ever have. We sit on a church pew and at the same time, watch our children dance half naked in videos, punch out sports officials, shoot teachers, rape & degrade women, have children -at an alarming rate -outside of wedlock, embarass themselves and the entire community on t.v. talk shows, etc. It is abhorrent and I think Dr. King would agree. I pray that we will soon remember God, as he has never forgotten us.


Name: DRISSEY
Email:
Response: IF DR. KING WERE ALIVE TODAY, HE WOULD FOCUS ON THE ISSUE OF BLACK ON BLACK CRIME. HE WOULD TRY TO GET BLACK PEOPLE TO TAKE EVERY ADVANTAGE OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNIES. HE WOULD BE APPALLED THAT MORE PEOPLE DON'T TAKE THE TIME TO VOTE.


Name:
Email: Prioritee@aol.com
Response: I believe Dr. King would be focused on youth issues and concerns in our society.


Name: Cynthia
Email: cynthiajames@hotmail.com
Response: I think that he would be focusing on Affirmative Action. After all it is the most talked about issue now. I think that he would probably argue with those people who feel that its only because of Affirmative Action that minorities get what they get today. But I know that I would definitey argue.


Name: KC
Email: kyc_56@hotmail.com
Response: Truly, there are so many avenues he would take: Affirmative Action, voter registration, and the over population of Black men in prison. It would also serve us to have a leader encouraging us to further our agenda through EDUCATION. "Knowledge is Power".


Name: Solomon Landers
Email: Solomon@memrain.org
Response: Economic empowerment. Though a spiritual man, Dr. King would realize that the Gospel does not sit well on an empty stomach. And in a capitalist society, the Golden Rule is, whoever has the gold makes the rules. When you consider all the other things that need to be accomplished by and in black America, it is obvious that the underlying need is for economic power. All other power in a capitalist society flows from economic power. Or rather, since the raw economic power already exists, it must be channeled and utilized more effectively. Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility) , and Ujamaa (cooperative economics) must become more than Kwanzaa slogans honored at the end of a year. They should drive consistently the economic direction of black America towards making a better life for all. Heaven may be the goal, but we have to deal with life here on earth first.


Name: bradfo43@ccvax.mmc.edu
Email:
Response: Economic empowerment for ALL Blackpeople, and forming BlackThinkTanks to strategize and lay out a plan for how we can still succeed and excel in this country when and if affirmative action is COMPLETELY reversed in all fifty states. The same thing all the rest of us still here should be contemplating, and focusing on in the year 1998.


Name:
Email: ibnakbar@aol.com
Response: I believe that Dr. King's courage and sincerity would divinely compel him to focus on the issue of Reparations which is Justice. Slavery, Jim Crow, Police brutality, etc. are all gross violations of African American's Human Rights. Dr. King, in 1998, would focus on Reparations for African Americans because of gross violations to their Human Rights. Reparations would help heal the racial divide and promote self-determination.


Email: Maddog@webtv.net
Response: I believe Martin Luther King would be focusing on what he did on a daily basis; namely, promoting the Nonviolent Elimination of Poverty, Racism, Violence, and War. He would be working with others to Educate, Train in Community Service for Social change. He would be reaching out to create a world of Human Rights, Brotherhood and Peace. He would be ever continually compelled to carry the Gospel of Freedom to Wherever Injustice Dwells. He was constantly responding to the Call for Aid.... "INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO JUSTICE EVERYWHERE" ....


Name: JB
Email: jsb1@yahoo.com
Response: I think he would have us look at ourselves to solve some of the problems we are pleagued with today. Illegitamacy, teen pregnancy, crime, urban decline, and drugs. We are victims of racism, but we are also victims of our own actions. Racism will always be a problem in this country, but our own self destruction is under our direct control to alleviate. Peace and blessings to all.


Name:
Email: INI360
Response: Now this is one of the most deepest question's that has been on in a while. I think if Dr.king were alive and he kept his same pace before his untimely death we might of had our first black president. And that bring's this question to another level. We as a people might not be in the condition that we are stuck in now. With him and the Minister Farakhan's following united there is no doubt that thing's would be alot diferrent. (sorry for the spelling but i was in a rush all of this came of the top of my head.)


Name:
Email: eastersr2@aol.com
Response: With so many issues of racial inequality still ravaging our lives, I think Dr. King would be focussing on many things. Among them would be the cutbacks of affirmative action, the steadily increasing Arican-American prison population and the decreasing life expectancy of the African- American male. He would surely feel pain for the victims of AIDS and the scurge of drug addiction.