MLK Weekend

Hey, what's happening in SoWal on MLK weekend? We're thinking about driving down. In our town the MLK holiday is the white folks' vacation getaway (as in anyone with an ounce of money goes snow skiing). How ironic is that? I refuse to pay to be cold, so we typically beach it on MLK weekend.

I bet there are some African Americans with enough money to go snow skiing. Just a thought.

I bet there are some African Americans with enough money to go snow skiing. Just a thought.

True.dat. But not in our town where you can count on one hand the number of affluent blacks. Sad, but true. We didn't move here for that reason -- we moved here for the employment opportunities.

I bet there are some African Americans with enough money to go snow skiing. Just a thought.

In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Nobel Peace Prize Winner in 1964

Some of my favorite quotes from him:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

I want to be the white man's brother, not his brother-in-law.

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.

Free at last; free at last; thank God Almighty we are free at last.

Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love.

Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?

Man was born into barbarism when killing his fellow man was a normal condition of existence. He became endowed with a conscience. And he has now reached the day when violence toward another human being must become as abhorrent as eating another's flesh.

Morality cannot be legislated but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless.

True.dat. But not in our town where you can count on one hand the number of affluent blacks. Sad, but true. We didn't move here for that reason -- we moved here for the employment opportunities.

They may not be affluent, but I am sure many are rich. Rich in spirit, rich with love, family and friends.

In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Nobel Peace Prize Winner in 1964

Some of my favorite quotes from him:

Morality cannot be legislated but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless.

Amen sista. The above quote is my favorite and I think I will make that my siggy line in honor of MLK day. :clap_1:

Mr. King is one of my heroes. I wrote a paper about him back in high school. Remember how old I am. It was one of my best memories to learn about a man who spoke with such sense and passion.

Isn't it sad how the true meaning of most of our commemorative holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, MLK Jr. Day, etc.) has been lost? Kdwells, thanks for reminding us why this day and this man were chosen to be recognized.

Isn't it sad how the true meaning of most of our commemorative holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, MLK Jr. Day, etc.) has been lost? Kdwells, thanks for reminding us why this day and this man were chosen to be recognized.

Exactly. It's just become a winter break for people who can afford to go on a vacation. Where I teach, we used to have commemorative services on MLK day, but the administration gave up on it because no one showed up -- everyone was out of town.

you can count on one hand the number of affluent blacks.

I spend alot of time in Atlanta and I don't believe that to be a fact. I have been impressed to have seen the opposite to be true. It seems to be a city with great opportunity for everyone including minorities.

Kdwells, thanks for the quotes ~ it is a great reminder.

"you can count on one hand the number of affluent blacks."

I spend alot of time in Atlanta and I don't believe that to be a fact. I have been impressed to have seen the opposite to be true. It seems to be a city with great opportunity for everyone including minorities.

There are many affluent blacks in Atlanta, but I live *near* Atlanta. It's totally different in some of the outlying areas.

There are many affluent blacks in Atlanta, but I live *near* Atlanta. It's totally different in some of the outlying areas.

and who really cares????? people are people are people!!!!!!

I bet there are some African Americans with enough money to go snow skiing. Just a thought.

True.dat. But not in our town where you can count on one hand the number of affluent blacks. Sad, but true. We didn't move here for that reason -- we moved here for the employment opportunities.

and who really cares????? people are people are people!!!!!!

There are many affluent blacks in Atlanta, but I live *near* Atlanta. It's totally different in some of the outlying areas.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." -- MLK, Jr.

Seems like we are not quite there yet.

Kathydwells, thanks for sharing some of your favorites. If more people were like Martin Luther King, Jr, the world would be a better place.

What I intended to convey (but failed to do) is that it's ironic that in our town, MLK day isn't a commemoration -- it's a skiing holiday for affluent white people. Like I said, you can count on one hand the number of affluent blacks in our town. They turn down job opportunities here because (according to employers I know) blacks say there are no well-educated blacks for them to socialize with. That's sad.

What I intended to convey (but failed to do) is that it's ironic that in our town, MLK day isn't a commemoration -- it's a skiing holiday for affluent white people. Like I said, you can count on one hand the number of affluent blacks in our town. They turn down job opportunities here because (according to employers I know) blacks say there are no well-educated blacks for them to socialize with. That's sad.

Does exterior color or affluency really matter? I guess if you are buying a car, it may, but when you start pointing out who is black and who is white and who has money and who pretends to have money and who is homeless, you lose my interest quickly. Go live on the streets for a couple of days or take a long walk through the woods, and you will see that none of that really matters. ;-)

Does exterior color or affluency really matter? I guess if you are buying a car, it may, but when you start pointing out who is black and who is white and who has money and who pretends to have money and who is homeless, you lose my interest quickly.

"A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for the Negro..." MLK quoted by Stephen B.Oates, Let The Trumpet Sound.


Reporter: "Do you feel it's fair to request a multi-billion dollar program of preferential treatment for the Negro, or any other minority?"

Dr. King: "I do indeed...Within common law, we have ample precedents for special compensatory programs. ... America adopted a policy of special treatment for her millions of veterans...They could negotiate loans from banks to launch businesses. They could receive special points to place them ahead in competition for civil service jobs...There was no appreciable resentment of the preferential treatment being given to the special group." -- (Interview,1965, p.367)

What I intended to convey (but failed to do) is that it's ironic that in our town, MLK day isn't a commemoration -- it's a skiing holiday for affluent white people. Like I said, you can count on one hand the number of affluent blacks in our town. They turn down job opportunities here because (according to employers I know) blacks say there are no well-educated blacks for them to socialize with. That's sad.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the affluent white people might actually find a commemorative event or two in Atlanta for MLK Jr. Day if they stuck around and didn't go skiing.

:clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1:

[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAKnMLPus1M[/nomedia]

"A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for the Negro..." MLK quoted by Stephen B.Oates, Let The Trumpet Sound.


Reporter: "Do you feel it's fair to request a multi-billion dollar program of preferential treatment for the Negro, or any other minority?"

Dr. King: "I do indeed...Within common law, we have ample precedents for special compensatory programs. ... America adopted a policy of special treatment for her millions of veterans...They could negotiate loans from banks to launch businesses. They could receive special points to place them ahead in competition for civil service jobs...There was no appreciable resentment of the preferential treatment being given to the special group." -- (Interview,1965, p.367)

It's so sad that in this day and age anyone is still even bringing up differences in the color of our skin. Whether someone is black or white shouldn't even come up...it should be a non-issue. We are all equal. This is America, the land of opportunity, where we all have the opportunity to make an honest living. Having a specific program that targets one particular race, in my opinion, keeps the differentiating of races alive and in the forefront. There are folks of all nationalities and races who need help...why differentiate between the races? And what about pride? How can someone who's been put ahead of an entire group of people in competition for a job simply because of the color of his/her skin possibly have pride in that job when they know the only reason they were selected for that job was because of the color of their skin? I truly hope the day comes , hopefully in my lifetime, where the issue of race is non-existent. Only then will we be truly equal.

Just my two cents.

What I intended to convey (but failed to do) is that it's ironic that in our town, MLK day isn't a commemoration -- it's a skiing holiday for affluent white people. Like I said, you can count on one hand the number of affluent blacks in our town. They turn down job opportunities here because (according to employers I know) blacks say there are no well-educated blacks for them to socialize with. That's sad.

Where are you? Alpharetta? Or the surrounding Roswell/Cumming areas? Just wondering b/c we are just moved from that area down here and we are a multiracial family, who definitely stood out around there. Many of the African American families did talk about not having enough multi-culturalism there, but that they also wanted the pluses of living in that area.

Sadly, race still does come up today. Talking about it freely makes it lose its hold over people, though. It is part of what makes a person who he/she is, but it should not be a determinating factor in being friends, hiring or falling in love with another person. You can't take away the color of one's skin, although it means very little, as in I look "white," but I have African, Native American, European, etc. in me.

We talk with our children about it continuously because we want them to know it's a safe subject and it takes away the taboo of it all.

Ironically, while typing this message, my 3 year old wanted me to comb her hair straight. She has the corkscrew curls but knows that it makes her different from others, including her older sister. It is something that I felt would happen with at least one of our children, as their are sociological studies that show "white" features are preferred over "black" features, even in small African American children. There was a video taken of a study where small children were asked to choose which doll they liked better, a white or a black doll. All of the African American children chose the white doll, because they said it was "prettier" than the black doll. No matter how many times I saw that film, I cried.

My oldest daughter and I were talking about MLK Jr and Rosa Parks today. She said, he was trying to help the world and someone killed him. But even in his death, MLK has done so much to help this world. Being able to talk about his life and his achievements with each other still keeps his dream alive.

My wish is that one day, we will all be able to celebrate the rainbow of colors of everyone's skin and not have to pretend that there are not differences in shades and hues. Everyone is beautiful in their own right. That is what we need to focus on. Colorblindness will keep us blind.

My wish is that one day, we will all be able to celebrate the rainbow of colors of everyone's skin and not have to pretend that there are not differences in shades and hues. Everyone is beautiful in their own right. That is what we need to focus on. Colorblindness will keep us blind.

Interesting point of view.

I'm south of Atlanta, but my daughter's boyfriend lives in Alpharetta, and I've heard how lily white and homogeneous it is. Where I live, not only is there black/white segregation, but many people born here don't socialize with those who were brought here by their jobs, much of the MD crowd only socializes with other MD's, women who don't work don't socialize with women who work, parents whose kids go to one particular high school don't socialize with parents of kids who don't, etc. Very cliquish.

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My wish is that one day, we will all be able to celebrate the rainbow of colors of everyone's skin and not have to pretend that there are not differences in shades and hues. Everyone is beautiful in their own right. That is what we need to focus on. Colorblindness will keep us blind.

Well said organicmama:clap_1:

I saw your little daughter's photograph with the corkscrew curls...she's adorable!

Interesting point of view.

Where I live, not only is there black/white segregation, but many people born here don't socialize with those who were brought here by their jobs, much of the MD crowd only socializes with other MD's, women who don't work don't socialize with women who work, parents whose kids go to one particular high school don't socialize with parents of kids who don't, etc. Very cliquish.

How sad, BR. Doesn't sound like a very happy place to live

How sad, BR. Doesn't sound like a very happy place to live

We have been telling her that for a long itme.

How sad, BR. Doesn't sound like a very happy place to live

I would not like to live there.