A Better Understanding

I've no right, nor special knowledge, but I'd like to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Dreaming of a society in which fairness reigns and all people have equal rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is not a waste of time if liberal amounts of energy are also spent working toward a better understanding of those who are different and to create an environment of acceptance.

Here's my offering of the day - words and art that will lead to a better understanding.

Online Media:

• History and Politics Online is a compilation of audio and text of memory worthy speeches and historical moments. Here is the Martin Luther King, Jr. section. My favorites are Drum Major for Justice and I Have a Dream. If you need mpg format you can get I Have a Dream from here.
  
• An interesting recounting of the Bus Strike in Birmingham, AL by Maya Angelou of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings fame.
• The art of Faith Ringgold.
  

Must read books for understanding:

• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is an emotional powerhouse of a novel with mind blowing imagery and unbelievable rhythm. You can feel the fear and rage.
• Black Boy: An Autobiography by Richard Wright is a straightforward accounting of a journey from the challenges of segregated Mississippi to a self education in Chicago and beyond.
• Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is another autobiographical account, this time of a girl.
  
• Beloved by Toni Morrison is another truly memorable book with a view into the emotional and physical baggage of ex-slaves.
• There Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is another rich look into the lives of poor, Southern black people.
• Selected Poems by Langston Hughes
• Annie Allen or any other poetry by Gwendolyn Brooks. By the way, I got to meet Ms. Brooks and listen to her read her poetry.

So, you ask yourself, "Why did she choose these?" I chose these because they are truly "Great Literature," not just something written by someone with dark skin. The books speak of the unfairness, the pain, and struggle of growing up black, but they also speak of the human condition that transcends race which is what we are striving for in the first place - a humanity that is color blind.

But for those who want more, try these narratives, free.