MLK on "The Other America" and "Black Power"

by Martin Luther King Jr.

Two of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most radical works examining economic inequality, police brutality, and black power, which speak to our most pressing social issues of today.Though we’re familiar with the celebrated King who shared his dream of racial equality on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and who reassured those engaged in the struggle that “if you stand up for justice you can never fail,” it is rare that we remember his declarations that “a riot is the language of the unheard,” or that “Black power is a cry of disappointment.” Captured here, in this brief ebook volume, are excerpts of two of King’s most radical works—“The Other America” and “Black Power”—which powerfully speak across time to our most pressing social issues today.

Genres: Essays, Race

27 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2016

About the author

Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the pivotal leaders of the American civil rights movement. King was a Baptist minister, one of the few leadership roles available to black men at the time. He became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957), serving as its first president. His efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Here he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a national holiday in the United States in 1986. In 2004, King was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.

Reviews

[Brice Karickhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

MLK read #1 (or I guess #4 if you count what I’ve read in the past) (but #1 out of the 3 MLK reads I’m fixn to read)

King is a master orator obviously, so I’ve got nothing but praise for his style. What really struck me while reading this was Kings balance between responsibility and right, systematic problems and individual initiative, anger and understanding, etc. Gosh we could adopt this mindset today, or at the very least, learn from it. (read: common-humanity identity politics vs common-enemy identity politics)

Thank you MLK for laying down your life to put out works like this.

[Reuben Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oooft.

[Michelle Elstro · Rating 5 out of 5]

MLK Beyond His Dream

Dr Martin Luther King Jr is well known for his life’s work in the civil rights movement in the USA. His nonviolent protests and teaching went beyond the frontlines of radical change in this country. His words swept the country and nations as he spoke against Vietnam and called out the hypocrisy of the war. These two documents in this book hold famous quotes from him but they prove to dig deeper than the single phrases we all know. I’m so thankful for the keeping of his work and amazed at the relevance of every word he said then to the battles being waged today in the war for equality.

[Elizabeth Ricker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a brilliant orator. Tightly argued, wisdom and foresight dripping from many, many paragraphs, masterful use of sound and impeccable word choice. Impressive.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 speech and 1 book excerpt, which can be read in a day to observe Martin Luther King Jr day.

[William J Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitive work for the left today

The two works are an excellent summary of Dr. Kings thinking that doesn't take long to read. Will also destroy some of the misconceptions that the right attempts to spread about him today.