{"id":3325,"date":"2020-01-21T00:00:21","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T05:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/?p=3325"},"modified":"2020-01-21T09:25:27","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T14:25:27","slug":"jan-21-martin-luther-king-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2020\/01\/21\/jan-21-martin-luther-king-jr\/","title":{"rendered":"Jan 21 – Martin Luther King Jr"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tuesday,\u00a0January 21 \u00a0\u201cDeeds, not words.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have heard this thought expressed many times recently. It\u2019s spoken with a conviction that words have done little to change things in desperate need of change. Words are empty or, worse, they are smokescreens used to cover over unforgivable deeds. And yet, when thinking today of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it seems impossible to separate the man of action from the man of words. I can\u2019t envision the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom without hearing in my mind the cadences of Dr. King\u2019s Dream. I can\u2019t read \u201cLetter From Birmingham Jail\u201d without recalling the narrow cell in which King was imprisoned when he wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeloved community,\u201d \u201ca single garment of destiny,\u201d \u201cI have a dream\u201d\u2014these are words of inspiration. These are the first words my daughters will hear in their grade school assemblies this week. But they are words of challenge, too\u2014to us, and for us. How are we to think of violence and nonviolence in the wake of Ferguson, or New York, or Southfield? \u201cI am at war with myself \/ Having trouble finding the Martin in me,\u201d reveals Obasi Davis, a young poet from Oakland, CA, \u201cToo much anger \/ Not enough tolerance.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet, today people are gathering to speak with one another. People will come together to remember, and wrestle with, and re-vision communities in which so much is in need of change. I think of Dr. King, and I am both confronted and inspired by the thought it might always take both words and deeds.<\/p>\n

Dr. Rosemary Weatherston, from her guest editorial January 19, 2015<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI Have A Dream<\/a>\u00a0. . . ,\u201d Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., August 28, 1963
\n\u201cLetter From Birmingham Jail<\/a>,\u201d Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., April 1963<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Have a blest day,<\/p>\n

john st sj<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today\u2019s post \u201cPrecious Lord<\/u><\/strong>\u201d \u00a0Mahalia Jackson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wikipedia tells us that Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1993) wrote \u201cPrecious Lord\u201d in response to his inconsolable grief at the death of his wife, Nettie Harper, in childbirth, and his infant son in August 1932.\u201d It was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s favorite song and he often invited Mahalia Jackson to sing it at civil rights rallies. At his request, she sang it at his funeral in April 1968.<\/p>\n

Here is a five minute version sung by Jackson:\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=as1rsZenwNc<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPrecious Lord, take my hand,
\nLead me on, let me stand.
\nI am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
\nThru the storm, thru the night,
\nLead me on to the light.
\nTake my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.<\/p>\n

When my way grows drear, precious Lord, linger near,
\nWhen my life is almost gone, hear my cry, hear my call,
\nHold my hand lest I fall;
\nTake my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mahalia Jackson
\nOctober 26, 1911-January 27, 1972<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tuesday,\u00a0January 21 \u00a0\u201cDeeds, not words.\u201d I have heard this thought expressed many times recently. It\u2019s spoken with a conviction that words have done little to change things in desperate need of change. Words are empty or, worse, they are smokescreens … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3325"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3326,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3325\/revisions\/3326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}