Doug Parker’s Post

An unlikely place for MLK On Jan. 19, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. (#MLK) was in Manhatten, KS, addressing #KansasStateUniversity, in what would be his final speech at a #University — just months before he was assassinated. Between the lines below, I've excerpted the closing of his speech whose power, truth, and applicability remain woefully unfulfilled four days shy of 55 years later. Between the lines below are direct quotes from an #NPR piece, credited here: https://lnkd.in/gbsZgWjW ------------------------------------ King finished his speech 56 years ago by calling for stronger and more courageous political leadership. “Ultimately, a genuine #leader is not a searcher of consensus but a molder of consensus,” King told the crowd as he wrapped up his speech. "On some positions, cowards ask the question: Is it safe? Expediency asks the question: Is it politic? Vanity asks the question: Is it popular? But conscience asks the question: Is it right? There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, politic, nor popular. He must take it because conscience tells him that he is right.” ------------------------------------ As I ponder the many choices Americans - and many other countries worldwide - will make this year, King's words and wisdom from 1968 ring as loud, timely, and true as ever and should guide us to wisely choose leaders who will genuinely advance and sustain real democracy for all peoples for all time. #democracy #fairness #equity #equalrights #BLM #KSU #KU

A cultural force of the 19th Century, social reformer Henry George stirred millions to demand economic equity in the face of rapidly expanding economic divides between society's haves and havenots. More than a century later, George's teachings could not be more relevant, and his central policy prescription - the Land Value Tax - is in the news again, as major U.S. Cities like Detroit, MI, consider its adoption. But what was the central insight of this revolutionary thinker? How did a man of humble beginnings and limited formal education go on to influence the thinking of such intellectual and cultural giants as Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King, JR? Join RSF Board Member and Henry George scholar, Steve Sklar, as he explores George's teachings on the persistent and perverse relationship between progress and poverty in this one hour, free webinar. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eYMMVZMw

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” This year marks 61 years since Dr. King gave his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. 📜It also marks 61 years since he was imprisoned for his peaceful march, where days later, he wrote his historic “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. History, transformation, and progression are easy to honor decades later - but in this present moment, these three areas are much more complicated, painful, and even frightening to understand. 🤝 May Martin Luther King Jr. Day be a reminder that the fight for justice is continuous, and each of us plays a role in shaping a more equitable future. 👥 Read our blog and consider sharing it with your collegues and peers to learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Emmett Till, Fred Hampton, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin to celebrate today by sharing awareness and education: https://bit.ly/3S1EdYG You may not see the light at the end of the tunnel for many of the ongoing fights and challenges global communities are facing today. You may not see them tomorrow. But the hope is that one day, children and people from the future will - and they will celebrate and appreciate our efforts to create a better world. #MartinLutherKingDay #CivilRightsDay #JusticeForAll #Equity

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King Jr. Explanation: This powerful quote from Martin Luther King Jr. echoes the essence of our legal system, emphasizing the interconnectedness of justice on a global scale. Let's explore its profound meaning through the lens of notable case laws: 1. Brown v. Board of Education (1954): This landmark case in the United States tackled racial segregation in schools. The Supreme Court, influenced by King's principles, declared that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." The decision highlighted the idea that injustice in one corner affects the overall fabric of justice. 2. Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978): In this Indian case, the Supreme Court expanded the scope of personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution. Inspired by King's teachings, it emphasized that restrictions on this fundamental right must be just, fair, and reasonable. This case reinforces the advocate's quote, underscoring the interconnectedness of justice within the nation. 3. Pinochet Case (1998): The arrest of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in the UK, based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, showcased how the pursuit of justice transcends borders. This exemplifies the idea that injustice anywhere poses a threat to justice everywhere. Let's keep the conversation going! Share your thoughts on this empowering quote from Martin Luther King Jr. and the impact it has on shaping a more just and equitable world. 🌐⚖️ #LegalWisdom #InspirationalQuotes #JusticeForAll #MLKJrLegacy

Part#1 A Stone or Fish SCOTTY,SCOTTY,SCOTTY People tend to repeat what they have been taught. A Nation’s PERCEPTION is a derivative of its CURRICULUM & CUSTOM. An inheritance: Which we all have inherited, from the HEROES of Our Educators. A Custom supported by Education creates a self perpetuating(system)way of life, "We are not makers of History. We are made by HISTORY." MARTIN LUTHER KING The Facts are not Complex nor hard to Perceive. The Constitutional Convention was an in-house war. In which America stood divided,not by race.But by MORALS, PRINCIPLES , BELIEFS & PRACTICES. Clearly in America, there were two opposing CUSTOMS. This means there are two (History) TALES to be told, each having their own Heroes. The Constitutional Convention: The winners of the war Do tell the tale & Make the heroes! Who are the HEROES from the Constitutional Convention, who represented the NORTH/CONGRESS? Tell me, where are their larger than life statues? Where are they being Praised, Remembered and Honored? Where are their great FOLKLORIC tales? Where are their HOLIDAYS? george washington and thomas jefferson, are the men our Educators credited as being THE AMERICAN HEROES & FOUNDERS of AMERICA. Now the RECORD, FACTS AND SURROUNDING FACTS shows that ,washington and jefferson represented the SOUTH. Clearly our Educators show no LOVE for the HEROES of The NORTH/CONGRESS; nor any of their GREAT accomplishments. The men Our Educators Praise, are a reflection of their (TRUE) INTENTIONS & BELIEFS. Pointing to Their Perspective and the reasoning behind what they teach. “ There are two important days in your life the day you were born, and the day you know why.” Mark Twain The birth of America, is America's Independence Day, July the 4th, 1776. The man credited by WORLD HISTORY; as being the FATHER of AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE is ,JOHN ADAMS. The GREAT man, SAMUEL ADAMS, WORLD HISTORY has crowned the FATHER of AMERICA’S REVOLUTION

Step onto the carousel of history! Swipe through to explore the lasting legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. From Martin Luther King Jr. to Rosa Parks, dive deep into the pivotal moments and figures that shaped our world. Be inspired by the courage and determination of those who marched for freedom and equality. Swipe, engage, and honor the heroes of the past. Let's keep their legacy alive! #LegacyOfChange #CivilRightsIcons #NeverForget #successmindset #goals #mindsetcoaching #motivationalquotes #motivationalspeech #motivational_quotes #motivationalsayings #motivationaltips #inspirationoftheday

TL;DR - Happy MLK Day! Remember that DEI work as pertains to race in particular is necessary and the right thing to do! "A long time ago, brown people and beige people were separated. Dr. King fixed that", is what my little one said to me this morning as I was hurrying to brush his teeth and ferry him off to kindergarten. His innocent retelling of what he had learned in school the previous day pierced my heart and I at once felt pride and dread. Pride because an educator somewhere is doing their part to teach these young ones about the past. Dread because my innocent little one will soon begin to understand the scourge of racism and how modern society has been shaped by it. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs are currently under attack at many institutions around the US and the world. Some well known billionaires are airing their biases by advocating that DEI programs be cut as they merely serve far left wing ideologies. A meritocracy (nay, pigmentocracy) is supposedly the holy grail. Well, I counter that DEI programs are the ABSOLUTE BARE MINIMUM that companies and institutions can do to correct centuries of disenfranchisement and injustice in countries all around the world. Just as we should bemoan the European-led holocaust, we should pay at least equal attention to the centuries of European-led colonialism, apartheid, slavery and segregation. This is to say nothing of the centuries of genocide against indigenous peoples on the American and Australian continents. Lest we forget, the systemic and inter-generational damage caused by these very barbaric acts and systems is what DEI programs are trying to address. I am personally very grateful for martyrs like Dr. Martin Luther King that stood in the gap for me and for us all. As we celebrate the legacy of his prescience and sacrifice, let us remember what he stood and died for: a future where my little "brown" child can go to class alongside other "brown" and "beige" children and for that to be legal and OK; a future where historically disenfranchised communities are no longer ignored but given the acceptance and opportunities they deserved all along. If only we could bring this awareness to every workplace and space ... Happy MLK Day!

#politics #unitedstates If protesting against white racism - the original sin of American founding not because of black slavery as The New York Times’ 1619 project and Critical Race Theory (CRT) argue but because of the Indian Removal Laws of Andrew Jackson which resulted in the genocide of native Americans - is MLK Jr’s communism and socialism, then one can argue that the Declaration of Independence of 1776, which wrote in the founding values of United States of America, is communism. We all know 1776 is not communism. Why? Because communism and socialism came more than a century after 1776, not until 1917 in practice after the Russian October Revolution, which was the communist, authoritarian mirror of the democratic American Revolution by overturning a monarchy to found a republic. Both the United States and the former Soviet Union were always capitalist, because capitalism is about machines and automation, superseding agrarian feudalism, built on the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain which had begun in the 18th century. The distinction between the two systems is America is a democracy and the former Soviet Union was an authoritarian state. Racism is not about race. Race is a part of our identity, is an important part of who we are, and none of us need to be ashamed or feel superior about our race, pure bred or mixed. This is what 1776 was about. Racism is about using race as power to deprive someone not of your race of something they have or legitimately deserve. This was what the originally ratified Constitution in 1787 did to native and black Americans by depriving them of their Americanhood by law, hinging its hopes on the founding American values in the Declaration to eventually achieve the American Dream, not of great wealth by capitalism but of social equality and integration of all of the world’s races by social activism by the deprived who were not included in the original constitution. America was economically a developing country until the end of World War I in 1918. Any race can be racist. All races, not only whites, are racist when they acquire the power to be racist. Only the four men on Mount Rushmore had this insight that should guide all the rest of American presidents. Washington who had declared the First Thanksgiving in gratitude to both God and the natives and emancipated his slaves in his will despite being a Virginia plantation slave owner. Jefferson, another Virginia plantation owner, took native help to survey America from coast to coast and wondered aloud why his black slaves could not be like the white Englishmen of the American colonies who had emancipated themselves from the British rule of fellow white men. Lincoln who addressed America at Gettysburg invoking America’s founding values to hold the Union together. And Teddy Roosevelt who invited Booker T. Washington to the White House. That American institutions are racist, is therefore, not a surprise, and they need not be defended.

In thinking about Dr. King today, as we celebrate his birth and immeasurable contributions, I consider where we have been, where we are and where we appear to be heading in terms of equality and justice for all. A focus needed for all and for businesses. And then I listen to Dr. King's speeches, I'm reminded that his "Dream" remains a work in progress, and like democracy, is not achievable without work, sacrifice, unrelenting commitment, and resilience to move forward and not backwards!! We must never forget our history, or we will repeat what should not be repeated and not learn/grow. And we must also hold everyone accountable, including ourselves and especially our elected officials, to these standards. Words without action are meaningless. Again, everyone. ….. EVERYONE deserves, and has the unalienable right for equality and justice; regardless of a person's race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age disability or genetic information. And this should never be taken for granted, nor should we ever stop talking about it and asking questions and demanding answers/action.    And lastly, our country should be a shining beacon for the world, and we should accept and embrace our global responsibilities as a democratic nation: to protect not only our own, but those less fortunate or being attacked. https://lnkd.in/edyi5HAm https://lnkd.in/edyi5HAm

Thank you, Dr. Shaun Harper, for your tireless effort and leadership in the national racial equity and DEI effort. I first met Dr. Harper, aka Harp, as his graduate student at University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education in 2012. Already by then, Shaun had distinguished himself as a national leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion study and practice—well before “DEI work” was radically weaponized and politicized by its opponents and turned into a bogeyman. Shaun is now a Provost Professor at the USC Rossier School of Education and an appointed University Professor. Among countless accomplishments and career accolades, he is the founder and executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center. But most importantly, I consider him a dear friend and mentor. What I learned in 2012 holds just as true—if not truer—today in 2024. Those who work to oppose, bury, or dissolve DEI work are fearful of it. Fearful because it uncovers prejudice inherent in traditional power structures that have have been perpetuated for decades, if not centuries. And there are plenty of folks determined to keep traditional power structures exactly where and how they are. As Harp taught me, “We’ve been about this work, and we will continue to show up as our authentic selves and be about this work. Because if not us, then who?” Check out Dr. Harper’s recent article in Forbes about how MLK Jr. would respond to today’s attacks on DEI: https://lnkd.in/egqb4Svg #DEI #equity #inclusion #diversity #socialjustice #MLK #penn #upenn #penngse #usc #uscrossier #education #corporate #leadership #forbes #courage #bethechange #ifnotus #fighton #fightback #opportunity #affirmativeaction #allyship #authenticity