Uptown Notes

Hmm, Dyson. I don’t disagree with everything he says. But I think I have a quote that speaks to the vibe I get from self appointed black leaders.

SHiNE: How do you feel when people say there is no Black leadership?

KP: It’s an insult, and I think part of the problem is because of the phenomenon of what Dr. King called “Manufactured Black Leadership”. What Dr. King meant by that, was the folks that you see on TV all the time, you hear them on the radio all the time, they’re the ones always leading protests and marches, rallies and stuff like that. They’re what we call “ambulance chasers”, when there’s some sort of hype, there they are. But ask yourself a question again, what are the institutions that they have created that are really supporting and sustaining the community? Have they really created some ideas that are taking the conversation in different directions, and are they really out there on a regular basis with the people? NO, NO and NO. Then they’re not leaders they’re spokesmen!

King didn't see “angering the US government” as anything but a means to an end. He didn't “want” to anger LBJ, but he felt he had to by taking a stand that he thought was moral. (I wrote my master's thesis on King. “Making All Things New: The Value of Unmerited Suffering In the Like and Works of Martin Luther King Jr.” Wake Forest University, 2000.)

“Legislation alone was insufficient to bring about equality. Laws granting rights are useless unless people have the power to exercise them. The right to eat in a restaurant meant little to people who could not afford to eat there. Ridding the world of poverty became a substantial part of King’s dream, and as he matured, his thinking became more inclusive—more global. When he realized that racism was so deeply ingrained in American society that nothing except a transformation of values could bring about freedom, he spoke forcefully, naming racism, poverty, and war as the major ills of America and showing their interconnectedness. The choice was not between nonviolence and violence but between nonviolence and nonexistence. King believed people must stop killing each other and rid the world of war. He had begun to see two kinds of hypocrisy among racists: ignorance accompanied by inconsistent behavior and genuine conviction that equality would not work. He hoped to educate the ignorant, but he had no answer for those who truly believed that masking racism and injustice was enough. How can one aim toward an ideal that does not exist? Exasperated, King became bolder in his prophetic role, using more confrontational language as he questioned America’s ability to distinguish good from evil without a revolution of values.

Especially during his final years, King was too busy and important to lead a normal life although he longed to do so. He struggled with the dichotomy between his sexual habits and his role as pastor and prophet and with his pending martyrdom. Although he was in a cycle he could not break, he had a destiny he could not deny. Only with a few close friends could he be himself. He suffered not only physical abuse, such as the stoning he and Abernathy experienced during a march in Cicero, Illinois, but mental torture, like the loneliness he experienced in jail and the never-ending fear that a given death threat might result in his death or that his sex life would be exposed. He knew the FBI was listening and waiting for the opportunity to discredit him and to negate the work of the movement. Ironically, King’s liaisons seem to have increased during this period. Perhaps his excruciating loneliness was temporarily lessened in a sexual release.

In his final days, King spoke with great urgency—casting aside expectations of approval and ignoring the consequences of his radical statements. When he angered civil rights leaders by linking the Vietnam War with the Civil Rights Movement, he lost popularity and became deeply hurt by negative comments from his former allies. He knew the chances of his assassination were increasing. Whenever he was afraid, he fell back on his testimony, retelling the story of his kitchen experience in Montgomery, when, as a young pastor, he had became discouraged and afraid, yet he found, deep in the night when he felt most alone, that God gave him the strength to stand firm and authenticated his call. Another story recalled a letter from a young white girl who was glad he didn’t sneeze after his Harlem stabbing. Criticism and weariness had caused Martin to experience a deep depression, but these stories reminded him that hope was greater than disappointment.”

from the “Conclusion: of Helen Losse, “Making All Things New: The Redemptive Value of Unmerited Suffering in the Lief and Words of martin Luther King Jr.” (master's thesis, WFU, 2000)

My answer to #6 for me personally? I've read all his stuff and the answer is still “yes”

Hmm, Dyson. I don't disagree with everything he says. But I think I have a quote that speaks to the vibe I get from self appointed black leaders.

SHiNE: How do you feel when people say there is no Black leadership?

KP: It’s an insult, and I think part of the problem is because of the phenomenon of what Dr. King called “Manufactured Black Leadership”. What Dr. King meant by that, was the folks that you see on TV all the time, you hear them on the radio all the time, they’re the ones always leading protests and marches, rallies and stuff like that. They're what we call “ambulance chasers”, when there’s some sort of hype, there they are. But ask yourself a question again, what are the institutions that they have created that are really supporting and sustaining the community? Have they really created some ideas that are taking the conversation in different directions, and are they really out there on a regular basis with the people? NO, NO and NO. Then they’re not leaders they’re spokesmen!

I hear what you're saying, but I don't the question is whether Dyson is a Black Leader. I don't think he's purported to lead us to anything other than a deeper form of thought and potential action. He is a public intellectual in that sense and there to beg questions. The irony of King's stance on manufactured leadership is that he was often questioned on the same terms by his peers. Institutions and legacies are real important q's and themes, but we must also admit that folks will disagree with the value of what folks leave behind. After all both Sharpton and Jackson have been very successful at creating organizations that have been engaged in long term activism, but trust folks often don't like them as leaders or what they perceive to be their deeds. But points well taken sir. Thanks for blessing the blog.

King didn't see “angering the US government” as anything but a means to an end. He didn't “want” to anger LBJ, but he felt he had to by taking a stand that he thought was moral. (I wrote my master's thesis on King. “Making All Things New: The Value of Unmerited Suffering In the Like and Works of Martin Luther King Jr.” Wake Forest University, 2000.)

“Legislation alone was insufficient to bring about equality. Laws granting rights are useless unless people have the power to exercise them. The right to eat in a restaurant meant little to people who could not afford to eat there. Ridding the world of poverty became a substantial part of King’s dream, and as he matured, his thinking became more inclusive—more global. When he realized that racism was so deeply ingrained in American society that nothing except a transformation of values could bring about freedom, he spoke forcefully, naming racism, poverty, and war as the major ills of America and showing their interconnectedness. The choice was not between nonviolence and violence but between nonviolence and nonexistence. King believed people must stop killing each other and rid the world of war. He had begun to see two kinds of hypocrisy among racists: ignorance accompanied by inconsistent behavior and genuine conviction that equality would not work. He hoped to educate the ignorant, but he had no answer for those who truly believed that masking racism and injustice was enough. How can one aim toward an ideal that does not exist? Exasperated, King became bolder in his prophetic role, using more confrontational language as he questioned America’s ability to distinguish good from evil without a revolution of values.

Especially during his final years, King was too busy and important to lead a normal life although he longed to do so. He struggled with the dichotomy between his sexual habits and his role as pastor and prophet and with his pending martyrdom. Although he was in a cycle he could not break, he had a destiny he could not deny. Only with a few close friends could he be himself. He suffered not only physical abuse, such as the stoning he and Abernathy experienced during a march in Cicero, Illinois, but mental torture, like the loneliness he experienced in jail and the never-ending fear that a given death threat might result in his death or that his sex life would be exposed. He knew the FBI was listening and waiting for the opportunity to discredit him and to negate the work of the movement. Ironically, King’s liaisons seem to have increased during this period. Perhaps his excruciating loneliness was temporarily lessened in a sexual release.

In his final days, King spoke with great urgency—casting aside expectations of approval and ignoring the consequences of his radical statements. When he angered civil rights leaders by linking the Vietnam War with the Civil Rights Movement, he lost popularity and became deeply hurt by negative comments from his former allies. He knew the chances of his assassination were increasing. Whenever he was afraid, he fell back on his testimony, retelling the story of his kitchen experience in Montgomery, when, as a young pastor, he had became discouraged and afraid, yet he found, deep in the night when he felt most alone, that God gave him the strength to stand firm and authenticated his call. Another story recalled a letter from a young white girl who was glad he didn’t sneeze after his Harlem stabbing. Criticism and weariness had caused Martin to experience a deep depression, but these stories reminded him that hope was greater than disappointment.”

from the “Conclusion: of Helen Losse, “Making All Things New: The Redemptive Value of Unmerited Suffering in the Lief and Words of martin Luther King Jr.” (master's thesis, WFU, 2000)