Page 4 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. SPECIAL EDITION H in^t(?n-Salem Chronicle Thursday, January 13, 1994 V ^ A Letter to President Clinton in the Spirit and Memory of Dr. King Mr President. 1 note v. ith inter est sour speech of \o\emher 1?. 1M93 at the Church of God in Christ in Memphis. "the church vshere Martin Luther King made his last speech before he was assassinated. Mr President. I must say to you in all sincerity that I deeply resent your selective use of the lifjr and legacy of Dr. Kin to mask the flawed poli cies of the U.S. Government and the gross inadequacies and failures of \our administration on the issues of racism and poverty in this nation. It is politicals self-serving, even i ? * insulting for you to patronize black America by preaching to us about the mission and meaning of the life of Dr. King on these vital issues. Those of us who t^lve devoted our lives to the cause of civil rights and human rights -remember all too v>ell what Dr Kinp was saying and doing about violence in American society. It is white America which has largely come to vgffer from arrmesra on the substantive issues for which Dr. King gave his life. Perhaps you were away at Oxford University when Dr. King made his fateful journey to Memphis and are therefore unaware of what he was concerned about at the end of his life. It might be useful to'remind you that Dr. King was deploring government inaction on the issues of _:ujiujmic injustice as ne journeyed to Memphis, and he was in the midst of planning a Poor People's Campaign to fight for a fundamental change in the wretched condition of the black masses. , Perhaps some of Dr. King's own words might serve to jog yoiir a memon and help you be more rele/ vant as you most assuredly now- pre^ pare to mount some podium /n^ Martin Luther King Day to urter some more self-righteous platitudes: "The fact is. there is a major depres sion in the Negro community. The unemployment rate is extremely high^ and among Negro youth it goes as high as 40 percent in some cities. We need an Economic Bill of Rights. This would guarantee a job to all people who want to work and who are able to work. It would also guarantee income to those not able to work ... Our whole campaign, therefore, would center on the jobs question, with other d'emands. like housing, that are closely tied to it. Wo feel that inuili moie building of housing for low-income people should be done." Mr. President, things have not changed very much since Dr. King spoke these w ords' in 1968." Indeed, conditions tor the masses of black people have severely worsened. Time and time again African American leaders have, in the tradi tion of Dr. King, pointed to unem ployment. poor Housing and inferior education as root causes of the crisis of crime and violence in urban America. The equation is very sim ple. Mr. President, economic injus tice contributes to crime^nd vio lence. And yet. Mr. President, there is very little in your rhetoric on this issue that addresses this vital ques tion. and there is virtually nothing within your economic agenda that resembles - anything like an Economic Bill of Rights. The princi pal cause of the crisis of violence in your analysis is declining family values and the deteriorating family. ? fetenca yon hnv^.dnnp nnthino nn rhp - jobs issue. You even abandoned the paltry "stimulus package." which you promised during the campaign. In Dr. King's day it was the Vietnam War that was draining off the resources that were needed to cope with social problems here at home. Now the U.S. is shackled bv a massjve debt and deficit created by the greed and misdeeds of the nch and the privileged ? ? the- most "responsible" and "respected" citi zens in the land SofAmerica cries broke while the masses of black people suffer. And you. Mr. President, despite the fact that the Cold War is over, continue to bud get some 270 billion for war/defense. * ' - The Congressional Black Caucus and the Progressive Caucus have pleaded with you to adopt a strategy of economic conversion which would drastically reduce mili tary spending so that programs like the National Urban League's Domestic Marshall Plan could be funded. Their please have fallen on deaf ears. Dr. King had something to su> about that :o>>. Mr PresKi-n;. if you care to listen A nation that continues \ear alter \ear to >pcio more morie> on mililaTv defense than fin programs > about }he /sTr>* of the Father being \isited on the third and fourth generations.* ... Jthe hate and shame planted through ?the generations of educational ? denial, political disenfranchisemerit and economic exploitation of its black population. Nov almost a cen ' tury removed from slavery, we ttnd the heritage of oppression and racism erupting in our cities -with _ volcanic lav a of bitterness and trus- - tration. ..." Good aa\. Mr. President NORTHSIDE SHOPPING CENTER Featuring foot locker f M . .M A* One Price $7 CCLOTHING STORp). m#n't sp^ctotty ctottu** 7 VI ?waag fla^w/Uddt" ? fCCNNMMVf RISTAURAM (!i" Owon KAY Ti\*i#d J? n Mpqr ttUi ? PkhPdy Shoes? " Say-that I was a drum major for justice, say that I was a drum major for peace." The merchants of / Northside Shopping Center proudly honor the birthday of Dr. JVlartin LutherKing, dr., humanitarian and Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr . Nobel Peace Prize recipient. mm I p ? I wrdmtM - \>v ~ !v1r 4 vMMfc H> --:^> \ -??'?? ?; ; - 3 < ?? iAVV ;>' '.'*V->'^ ?l I mi te I A>-/ w ? isffillsl I ??|||i .v> Vfc >>\S & /?