I’ve been in the newspaper business all my life and love a good quote.
But it is a great quote that comes from the speaker’s heart and touches mine.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
A hard look at us
Race permeates everything in Mississippi.
It is evident in the churches we go to, the politicians we vote for and even the checkout clerk we choose in the local grocery store. And it cuts both ways.
So as we celebrate the memory of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. this week – he even preached a sermon in Clarksdale in 1967 – we hope all will look at what the man said and what he stood for.
A great orator and speaker, there are many quotes by Rev. King that we could have chosen. The Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register picked these four for a reason.
The Dream
The first quote at the top of this page strikes at the heart of what our founding fathers so aptly called “Justice for All.” Courts, a country, a state or a community where justice is twisted is a reason for all of us to fear.
Over the past few months as I have watched this community shoot and even kill young people. I hope everyone in this town realized all our children are in danger.
We must hold our judges accountable and make them realize crime must be punished.
We must also hold law enforcement accountable and demand they catch the crooks.
The second quote aims at the heart of what all true Christians should believe. In a world that is increasingly polarized along religious lines, or more aptly a lack of them, we need to ponder the words of Dr. King and Jesus’ teachings on peace and love.
I ask you one question -- do you turn the other cheek?
The third quote is actually a twist on the quote “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” often attributed to Edmund Burke. The truth imparted by either author is still truth, indeed.
Lazy cowards in Clarksdale and Coahoma County will keep this community from being all it can be. People around here want change and voted for it this past summer. It's time for us to change our schools, curtail crime, clean up Clarksdale and bring businesses back to town.
The last quote is probably King’s most famous and should give up all pause and allow us to measure where the races are in our society and culture.
We should still dream of a day when we will be judged by the content of our character, rather than our skin color, our nationality, our political persuasion, our religious beliefs or the size of our pocketbook.
As we look around Coahoma County, our state, our country and our world, now seems a good time to make a commitment to continue working to make King’s dream a reality.
Floyd Ingram is Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. He was born in Mississippi, raised in Mississippi and returned to Mississippi to make it a better place. Call him at 662-627-2201 if you want to join the cause.
