Peace and Unity in Long Beach

Long Beach, California celebrated it's 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Peace and Unity Celebration early on Saturday January 19th, 2008. This article is not about the festival although it was fun and I got to see the Delfonics, Crush and L.T.D. perform live as an added bonus for attending this years festival and parade. The after parade celebration is aptly held at MLK Jr park in Long Beach's 6th District. City Councilman of the 6th District, Dee Andrews also aptly choose Dr. King's book "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?" as this year's theme. It has been forty years this year since Dr. King was slain and I agree with Councilman Andrews, that it seems we are still fighting the same issues today that we were battling then: poverty, racism and militarism.

Then it was the youth that fought to end the Viet Nam war. Today many are protesting for an end to the Iraq war, even as our Senate passed an Iran Resolution which is the first green-light to invade Iran. The Long Beach Peace and Unity celebration was a day of harmony except for a small confrontation between a vendor and an irate mother. The mother misunderstood what the vendor was telling the boy that she was going to give him a free soda or bottled water if he did not have money to buy one. Other than that it was all peace signs and love. Several groups were passing out Stop The War notices of a massive Peace Rally being planned for March 15, 2008 the 5 year anniversary of the Iraq invasion. Those things tie in with the quotes I had chosen as my Martin Luther King Jr Day tribute. Here they are:

Martin Luther King - Technology

"When we look at modern man we have to face the fact that modern man suffers from a kind of a kind of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to his scientific and technological abundance we learned to fly the air like birds, we've earned to swim the sea like fish yet we haven't learned to walk the earth as brothers and sisters."

Martin Luther King, Jr. on War

"Don't let anyone make you think that God choose America as his divine Messianic force to be a sovereign policeman of the whole world God has a way of standing before the nations with judgment and it seems that I can hear God saying to America you're too arrogant if you do not change your ways I will rise up and break the backbone of your power..."

"...leaders for various reasons, refuse or can't take a stand or have to go along with the administrations, that's their business, but I'm gonna say tonight that I know that justice is indivisible; injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

"Like anybody I would like to live a long life; longevity has it's place, but I am not concerned about that now."

Martin Luther King JR - Reaction to JFK Assassination

Ray Moore's question to Martin Luther King JR: "You have had attempts made on your life and have been threatened even perhaps tonight, what is it like to walk under this constant threat?"

"Well it is often difficult but when you live with it so long you almost become immune to being afraid as a result of these threats. I guess you have to come to the point of listening to these things philosophically...someone must have the courage and fortitude to stand up for it, even if it means suffering, even if it means death...even if I have to die for this cause...then it is the price that is paid to free the soul of our nation and to free our children from a permanent spiritual death.."

It seems that Dr. King's words from his book and thoughts on technology are even more appropriate today: "We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. This may very well be mankind's last chance to choose between chaos and community."

Resources for quotes are from You Tube videos that were available as of this date. They are linked in highlighted quote headers, where you can listen to Dr. King to hear the entire conversations. The book quote was found in the Long Beach 20th Annual Martin Luther King Day Jr. Peace and Unity celebration program. Peace, love and unity to all on MLK Jr. Day.