C. Eric Lincoln and Mickey McHenry - Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Service (January 14, 1983)

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-	In the meaning of this program, so father we thank you	0:03
	that wherever there is a pharaoh you send a Moses.	0:07
	Wherever there is an imperial Caesar,	0:13
	you sent about Jesus Christ.	0:17
	And we thank you that when there is a Jim Crow,	0:19
	you send them Martin Luther King.	0:21
	We ask for that his Spirit, his life,	0:25
	might be an influence to us, and we might emulate everything	0:30
	that he stood for and he lived.	0:36
	That the dream that he had will become our dream.	0:38
	The visions that he had will become our visions.	0:43
	And then, one day we all might love each other,	0:48
	work for freedom and justice for all people in this world,	0:50
	Amen.	0:58
	We have two scripture readings tonight.	1:02
	The first one comes from the gospel of Saint Matthew	1:05
	the 23rd chapter, the 36th and the 37th verses.	1:09
	Verily I say it to you, all these things shall	1:19
	come upon this generation.	1:23
	Old Jerusalem Jerusalem, thou that kills the prophet,	1:27
	and stoneth them which are sent unto the,	1:33
	how often would I have gathered thy children together,	1:37
	even as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings,	1:40
	and you would not.	1:46
	Our second scripture comes from St Luke the third chapter	1:54
	and the fourth verse.	1:59
	As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah	2:02
	the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying	2:06
	"in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord,	2:11
	"make his path straight."	2:15
	Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill	2:18
	shall be brought low; and a crooked shall be made straight	2:22
	and the rough ways shall be made smooth,	2:25
	and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.	2:28
	(piano music)	2:56
	♪ Lift every voice and sing ♪	3:14
	♪ Til earth and heaven ring ♪	3:20
	♪ Ring with the harmonies ♪	3:25
	♪ Of liberty ♪	3:30
	♪ Let our rejoicings rise ♪	3:36
	♪ High as the listening skies ♪	3:43
	♪ Let it resound loud as the rolling sea ♪	3:47
	♪ Sing a song full of the faith ♪	4:00
	♪ That the dark past has brought us ♪	4:05
	♪ Sing a song full of the hope that the present ♪	4:10
	♪ Has brought us ♪	4:15
	♪ Facing the rising sun ♪	4:22
	♪ Of our new day begun ♪	4:29
	♪ Let us march on ♪	4:34
	♪ Til victory is won ♪	4:37
	♪ God of our weary years ♪	4:45
	♪ God of our silent tears ♪	4:50
	♪ Thou who has brought us thus far on the way ♪	4:55
	♪ Thou who hast by they might, led us into the light ♪	5:04
	♪ Keep us forever in the path, we pray ♪	5:15
	♪ Lest out feet stray from the places our God ♪	5:24
	♪ Where we met thee ♪	5:31
	♪ Lest out hearts, drunk with the wine of the world ♪	5:34
	♪ We forget thee ♪	5:39
	♪ Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand ♪	5:45
	♪ True to our God, true to our native land ♪	5:58
-	I'd just like to welcome everyone here.	6:22
	I'm glad to see everyone came out.	6:24
	Before I begin with the poetry readings,	6:28
	I just wanted to say that we're celebrating the birthday	6:30
	of a beautiful man whose main message to us,	6:33
	I think, was a message of love.	6:37
	And although we always remember his dreams,	6:40
	lets not forget that he was a man of action,	6:43
	and hope that his memory challenges all of us to act	6:47
	to help his dream become a reality today.	6:50
	I've chosen three brief poems that I like to read,	6:54
	and I think each one of them reflects a different aspect	6:57
	of Martin Luther King's life and the message that he had	7:00
	for us.	7:02
	And the first poem that I'd like to read is entitled,	7:03
	I Dream of a World, and it was written by Langston Hughes.	7:07
	I dream a world where man no other man will scorn,	7:12
	where love will bless the earth and peace its paths adorn,	7:18
	I dream a world where we will know sweet freedom's way,	7:23
	where greed no longer saps the soul,	7:29
	nor avarice blights our day.	7:33
	A world I dream where black or white, whatever your race be,	7:36
	will share the bounties of the earth and every man is free,	7:42
	where wretchedness will hang its head, and joy,	7:47
	like a pearl, attend the needs of all mankind,	7:51
	of such a dream, our world.	7:56
	The second poem was written by our own Dr C. Eric Lincoln,	8:01
	who is a professor here at the divinity school,	8:06
	and it's entitled, Come Back Martin Luther King.	8:08
	I think it reflects how today many of us have become	8:12
	very complacent and we think that everything is okay.	8:16
	Come back Martin Luther King.	8:21
	Pray with me and hold my hand, and help me still	8:23
	the turbulence, the agitation that shakes me when I walk	8:27
	the streets of Boston, where once you drew your strength.	8:31
	Oh see how quickly the people have forgot.	8:35
	Do you hear the mothers in the streets?	8:38
	Hail Mary, hail Mary, burn the buses.	8:42
	Kill the niggers.	8:46
	Hail Mary, hail Mary, come back Martin Luther King,	8:47
	and teach us as you once taught us to forgive.	8:53
	Teach us as you once taught us to endure,	8:57
	for we are not assured.	9:01
	The friends we used to have, have long since quit the scene.	9:03
	The responsible people, the proper Bostonians	9:08
	who's names guild the love of the Mayflower are silent	9:12
	and remote, in retirement from the cause,	9:17
	who marched with you in Selma,	9:22
	keep to their tents in Boston, to quiet the weary tumult	9:25
	and give the people respite from the strife.	9:30
	Come back Martin Luther King.	9:34
	See how the famous churches.	9:36
	See how the great cathedrals that once seized your name	9:38
	for public cause to guild their own pretensions	9:42
	are shuttled for want of a cause.	9:45
	Stand silent for want of a voice.	9:48
	Come back Martin Luther King.	9:53
	The dreamers you left with your dream wake not	9:55
	to the task of dreaming.	9:58
	The dream languishes.	10:01
	The cock crows.	10:03
	I hear the tolling of the bells.	10:06
	There is no sound of trumpets.	10:09
	When shall we overcome?	10:12
	When shall we overcome?	10:14
	The last poem is a very brief one, and it was written	10:17
	by a student here, an undergraduate student, Emmett Stewart.	10:20
	And I think it reflect the optimism that I hope	10:24
	everybody will leave here with, and it's entitled,	10:26
	Were He Here, a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King.	10:31
	Stand tall, he would say, were he here,	10:35
	with your neighbor hand in hand, arm in arm, without fear.	10:38
	Beckon truth, he'd implore, you and me in our schools	10:44
	as we teach, in our streets as we march,	10:48
	in our homes as we pray, every minute of every hour	10:51
	of every day.	10:56
	Then, I'd inhale deeply, I'd reflect on the past	10:58
	and I'd look to the future, an arm stretched out	11:04
	to my neighbors, I'd stand tall.	11:07
	Thank you.	11:11
	(footsteps)	11:19
	(piano music)	12:16
	♪ I don't know my purpose in life ♪	12:42
	♪ I don't know what I'm supposed to give ♪	12:48
	♪ But as a long as I know God put me on earth ♪	12:49
	♪ I'm going to serve him for as long as I live ♪	12:50
	♪ Mountains may seem too hard to climb ♪	12:51
	♪ And rivers may seem much too wide ♪	12:52
	♪ But I'll find a way to climb those mountains ♪	12:52
	♪ Find a way to cross those rivers ♪	13:23
	♪ 'Cause the Lord is standing right by my side ♪	13:25
	♪ Take your problems to the Lord ♪	13:31
	♪ And take a hold of his ever-loving hand ♪	13:34
	♪ Jesus is holding my hand ♪	13:41
	♪ Take your problems to the Lord ♪	13:43
	♪ And take a hold of his ever-loving hand ♪	13:45
	♪ Hand, Jesus' hand ♪	13:50
	♪ Hand Jesus' hand ♪	13:56
	(piano music)	14:03
	♪ Sometimes problems burden us down ♪	14:14
	♪ Sometimes pain seems too much to bare ♪	14:19
	♪ When you can't find a shoulder worth leaning on ♪	14:25
	♪ The Lord my God is always standing right there ♪	14:31
	♪ People turn their heads in surprise ♪	14:38
	♪ When I shout his holy name ♪	14:43
	♪ Well I'm sorry if I got in your way ♪	14:49
	♪ But the spirit got a hold of me today ♪	14:53
	♪ Holding back from the spirit just aint the same ♪	14:56
	♪ Take your problems to the lord ♪	15:01
	♪ And take a hold of his ever-loving hand ♪	15:04
	♪ Jesus is holding your hand ♪	15:12
	♪ Take your problems to the Lord ♪	15:14
	♪ And take a hold of his ever-loving hand ♪	15:16
	♪ Hand, Jesus' hand ♪	15:21
	♪ Hand, Jesus' hand ♪	15:27
	♪ Jesus take my hand ♪	15:34
	♪ Lead me on Lord ♪	15:39
	♪ Lead me, guide me, direct me, protect me Lord ♪	15:42
	♪ Jesus take my hand ♪	15:46
	♪ Lead me on Lord ♪	15:50
	♪ In a day and age, in a time like this, Jesus ♪	15:53
	♪ Jesus take my hand ♪	15:56
	♪ Lead me on Lord ♪	16:03
	♪ Lead me Jesus, lead me lord, lead me ♪	16:05
	♪ Jesus take my hand ♪	16:07
	♪ Lead me on Lord ♪	16:13
	(choir clapping in unison)	16:16
	(choir vocalizing)	16:19
	♪ Hand, Jesus' hand ♪	16:52
	♪ Hand, Jesus' hand ♪	16:59
	♪ Oh lead me on home ♪	17:07
	(piano music)	17:10
-	Good evening my colleagues and my friends	18:16
	united in the struggle.	18:20
	It is with a special sense of pride to present	18:22
	to each of you a man who exemplifies the character,	18:27
	the poise, the intellect, the courage,	18:31
	and yes the commitment to those ideals espoused	18:37
	by our beloved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.	18:42
	A Durham native, out Speaker for this evening earned his	18:48
	Bachelor of Science and his Juris Doctorate degree	18:54
	from North Carolina Central University,	19:00
	with further study at Rutgers University.	19:04
	His expertise in the fields of law, real estate,	19:09
	business administration, public policy, biology,	19:15
	and Physiology are well-known.	19:20
	He has been and is practicing also as a real estate broker,	19:24
	in the state of North Carolina for over 20 years.	19:31
	He has been, and is, a licensed property	19:36
	and casualty insurance agent, and broker,	19:40
	in the state of North Carolina for 21 years.	19:43
	He has served as Secretary	19:50
	of the Carolina Brokers and Builders Association.	19:53
	He is a former member of	19:57
	the Durham Human Relations Commission housing committee.	19:59
	He is Chairman of the housing subcommittee	20:04
	of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.	20:07
	He has testified before the subcommittee	20:12
	on Housing and Urban affairs, on the committee	20:16
	on Banking and Currency of the United States Senate.	20:20
	In the field of legal experience, he is a former member	20:26
	and Senior Partner in the law firm	20:31
	of Mishaw Mishaw and Willis.	20:34
	He has served as Chief Assistant District Attorney	20:39
	for the Durham County North Carolina.	20:43
	He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter	20:47
	on June 25th 1977, as the United States Attorney	20:51
	for the Middle District of North Carolina.	20:58
	He is a member of the North Carolina State Bar Association,	21:02
	and in 1972, 1974, and 1976 he was elected	21:08
	to the House of Representatives of the state	21:16
	of North Carolina General Assembly.	21:20
	He has been appointed to and served on numerous committees,	21:24
	among which are the Appropriations in Education,	21:28
	Constitutional Amendments Corrections, et cetera.	21:32
	He is author and co-author of numerous bills,	21:35
	including sickle-cell legislation,	21:41
	equal light rights amendment ratification,	21:44
	fair employment practices and numerous others.	21:47
	Among those honors than our guest has received,	21:53
	include the service award from	21:57
	the 14th Judicial District Bar, service award from	22:00
	the Triangle Council of Governments, service award	22:05
	from the North Carolina State Bar Association,	22:09
	honorary doctorate of law degrees,	22:13
	North Carolina Central University, civic award	22:15
	from the Committee for the Affairs of Black People,	22:19
	Co-citizen of the year award Beta Phi chapter Omega Psi Phi,	22:24
	citizen of merit award Black Student Board,	22:31
	North Carolina State University, and lawyer of the	22:35
	year award, North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers.	22:38
	He is a member of the Saint Joseph's AME Church	22:43
	of Durham, North Carolina, and is currently serving	22:49
	on the steward's board there.	22:53
	His daughter Jocelyn is a graduate	22:55
	of the Howard University School of Communications.	22:58
	In November 1982 he waged a vigorous campaign	23:02
	for the position of congressman from the second district	23:08
	the state of North Carolina.	23:12
	A judge, a lawyer, a realtor, a politician,	23:14
	and a man committed to the struggle for freedom, equality,	23:20
	and justice.	23:27
	Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you,	23:28
	the honorable H.M. popular known as Mickey Michaux Jr.	23:31
	(audience applause)	23:39
-	I want to take this opportunity to thank Dean Lattimore	23:50
	for such a kind and gracious introduction,	23:53
	and to commend her for reading it just as I wrote it.	23:57
	(audience laughing)	24:02
	No, but seriously, Caroline, you did an excellent job.	24:05
	The only other introduction that I've had that was a better	24:10
	than that was, I spoke to a group,	24:13
	and the introducer didn't show up,	24:18
	and I had to do it myself.	24:20
	So yours is the second-best.	24:21
	I appreciate the opportunity	24:25
	to join you this evening	24:30
	for the celebration of the birth	24:33
	of a man that has been much maligned,	24:38
	but a man who has really, in fact,	24:45
	paid his dues.	24:48
	And I just want to base my remarks to you this evening	24:50
	on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr,	24:55
	and start out	25:00
	by simply saying to you that his struggles were inspired	25:01
	by his religious faith in his commitment	25:05
	to the brotherhood of Man.	25:07
	Without his faith he would never have had the strength	25:09
	to climb mountains, to move powerful men,	25:12
	or to walk so long, and so tall in the valley of the shadow	25:15
	of death.	25:19
	It was a central element of his light, of struggle,	25:21
	which rewards every new examination of it.	25:24
	The depth of meaning of his life is unfathomable,	25:28
	inexhaustible, and fertilizing from one generation	25:31
	to the next.	25:35
	Those who survive must confront the power of his character	25:37
	and moral presence, the force of his personality,	25:41
	the charisma of his being, the creativity of his thought,	25:44
	and the invincibility of his belief that God called him,	25:49
	and therefore, he knew no fear in the struggle.	25:53
	Now while these words are wholly inadequate to honor	25:59
	Martin Luther King Jr, they are equally inadequate	26:03
	to record the meaning and powerful impact he had	26:07
	upon the future of his the greatest country on earth.	26:10
	The great theologian Martin Luther once wrote the following	26:14
	as his own epitaph and certainly characterizes	26:17
	his namesake, our leader.	26:21
	He said this, "I need or can, nor will recant anything,	26:24
	"since it is not a right, nor safe to act	26:29
	"against conscience.	26:31
	"Here I stand.	26:33
	"I can do no other."	26:36
	Martin Luther King Jr, at a later time, in another place	26:39
	stood his ground and could do no other in the struggle	26:43
	against bigotry, injustice, and immorality.	26:46
	Clear vision, courage, and determination	26:50
	were the cornerstones of his life.	26:53
	We meet here this evening to pay tribute to his leadership.	26:56
	For Black Americans, yes, but indeed for all Americans,	27:00
	and all people.	27:05
	It is a symbolic occasion to reaffirm our own commitment	27:07
	to the brotherhood of man, and to rededicate ourselves	27:11
	to his dream for America.	27:14
	We meet to gain strength from his courage from the beginning	27:17
	in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 to the end	27:21
	in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968.	27:24
	Thirteen years which changed, and are still changing	27:27
	the life of a nation.	27:31
	We meet to remember the almost 20 years that have passed	27:33
	since that hot summer day in August,	27:36
	when more than 200 thousand gathered in Washington DC	27:39
	to hear about his dream for America.	27:43
	To recall his message of justice, equality, and freedom,	27:46
	which rang out across this country, echoing our hopes,	27:49
	refocusing our ideals, summoning our better selves,	27:51
	and, as I quote Martin, "The conscious of the nation,	27:57
	"before the judgment seat of morality."	28:01
	We meet tonight to say thanks for his victories	28:04
	on so many battlefields, the Montgomery Bus Boycott,	28:08
	public accommodations, voting rights,	28:12
	equal employment opportunity.	28:15
	We should be fired by his inspirations.	28:17
	We should take note of his sermon of love and hope,	28:22
	for we know that when that dream was stated almost 20 years	28:27
	ago no federal civil rights law,	28:31
	no Supreme Court decision denied the reality	28:33
	of the black experience.	28:36
	At the polling places black voters were turned away,	28:38
	if we dared show up at all, because it was said that we	28:41
	could not pass a literacy test.	28:45
	As if freedom could be limited to fine print.	28:47
	At the schools, black children were sent away	28:51
	by public officials brandishing bullwhips.	28:54
	There was no such thing as a routine ride on a public bus,	28:57
	never a routine stop at a roadside motel	29:00
	for any black American.	29:04
	Instead, we were routinely brushed to the back,	29:05
	or denied entry.	29:09
	How long ago my friends it seems, yet how recently is	29:11
	in fact, that Martin Luther King Jr. catapulted	29:15
	to the forefront of civil rights movement simply	29:19
	by insisting that a black woman be treated with dignity.	29:22
	And with all the strides made to remove the barriers,	29:29
	we continue and, we continue to share his dream	29:33
	that one day the sons of former slaves,	29:39
	and the sons of former slaveholders will be able	29:42
	to sit down at the table of brotherhood.	29:44
	And that little black boys and girls will be able	29:47
	to join hands with little white boys and girls	29:49
	as sisters and brothers.	29:52
	We need also to excuse the harsh criticism of his courageous	29:55
	stand against an immoral war, and his growing concern	29:59
	for the plight of the poor,	30:02
	of all races and colors to his larger vision	30:04
	of what was needed to bring true equality,	30:07
	not only to this country, but to the world.	30:10
	But above all, we meet to rededicate ourselves	30:14
	to the proposition that Martin Luther King's dream cannot	30:18
	and must not be deferred.	30:23
	And it's with these thoughts in mind that we mark	30:26
	the 54th anniversary of his birth.	30:30
	Now we could honor his memory in many ways.	30:34
	As for me, a son of the South,	30:38
	a former County Prosecuting Attorney,	30:41
	a former state legislator, a former United States Attorney,	30:44
	and more significantly, as a very close friend,	30:48
	I would like to honor him very simply for the political	30:52
	legacy that he gave to the disadvantage in America.	30:57
	His legacy challenges us to use the power inherent	31:01
	in the creative use of politics and public office	31:05
	to pursue equal justice, due process of law,	31:09
	and true liberation for all Americans.	31:13
	It challenges us to believe.	31:15
	And is he said that, "Injustice anywhere is a threat	31:18
	to justice everywhere."	31:23
	And that quote, "We are caught in an inescapable network	31:25
	"of mutuality tied to a single garment of destiny,	31:29
	"which simply means, whatever affects one of us directly	31:32
	"also affects us indirectly."	31:36
	What Martin knew, as others did before him,	31:40
	was that in America, political participation is the shortest	31:42
	road to power sharing, and to improving human conditions.	31:46
	Law has its limits.	31:51
	Moral persuasion has it's limits.	31:53
	But politics endure so long as we profess	31:55
	to be a democratic society.	31:59
	In 1967 he said,	32:02
	"For years, I labored with the idea	32:04
	"of reforming the existing institutions of the society,	32:07
	"a little change here, a little change there.	32:11
	"Now I feel differently.	32:15
	"I think you have got to have a reconstruction	32:17
	"of the entire society, a revolution of values."	32:20
	My friends,	32:26
	this non-violent revolution must rely in part	32:28
	on law and moral persuasion, but it most certainly	32:32
	must rely on direct political action.	32:36
	Clearly, this is a new cutting edge	32:40
	of the Civil Rights Movement, which was envisioned	32:43
	by Martin's call for a new thrust powerful enough,	32:45
	dramatic enough, morally appealing enough,	32:49
	so that people of good will, the churches, labor, liberals,	32:52
	intellectuals, students, poor people themselves will begin	32:56
	to put pressure on congressmen to achieve the goals	33:00
	of a just society.	33:03
	As what well-known author put it,	33:05
	"Racial compassion has to be reinforced by old-fashioned	33:08
	"American political quid pro quo."	33:12
	This strategy is as old as America, and as American	33:16
	as apple pie.	33:20
	What is new in our day is the use,	33:22
	the use of political power in public office	33:25
	to pursue the hopes and the aspirations of minorities.	33:28
	Martin gave focus and leadership to the struggle	33:34
	for political empowerment.	33:38
	For he knew, better than most of us,	33:39
	that we need political power more desperately	33:41
	than any other group in American society.	33:45
	Many of us are too poor to have adequate economic power,	33:48
	and most of us are too rejected by the culture	33:53
	to be part of any tradition of power.	33:56
	The cause may have been education, or food, or jobs,	34:00
	or the right to sit in a restaurant,	34:03
	or take any seat on a bus, but the objective was always	34:04
	the same, to achieve true equality and justice.	34:09
	To be heard, to be taken seriously, to be respected,	34:13
	to sit in the legislative chambers,	34:18
	and take part of the decisions on who gets	34:20
	what, where, and how in our society.	34:23
	And as Martin new, as do we, that it is one thing	34:27
	to get laws on the books, but quite another	34:32
	to have them implemented.	34:36
	Implementation is what the political process is all about.	34:38
	Just before he died, Martin began to see his dream	34:45
	become a reality.	34:50
	Street politics had moved indoors, into the congresses,	34:51
	into the state houses, into city halls,	34:55
	and today the number of minority elected officials,	34:57
	as well as appointed, has quadrupled.	35:00
	For those who want to know, based on what has happened	35:04
	and what is going to happen, the Civil Rights Movement	35:09
	is not dead.	35:12
	It is marching simply to the beat of a different drummer.	35:15
	These leaders are now sitting in city halls,	35:21
	and state legislators, and the United States Congress.	35:25
	They are marching into executive offices.	35:29
	They are burning the political system with their ideas.	35:32
	In 1976, James Baldwin wrote, "No matter how diversely	35:35
	"and with what contradiction the black vote is cast	35:40
	"in the 24 years left in this century's life,	35:44
	"the impact of the visible, overt black presence	35:47
	"on the political machinery of this country	35:51
	"alters forever, the weight and meaning	35:53
	"of the Black presence in the world."	35:56
	Yet, so much remains to be done.	36:00
	There exists, for instance, in the present administration	36:07
	and in the mood of the country,	36:11
	and climate of reactionary conservatism	36:12
	that has not been seen since post-reconstruction days.	36:15
	The beginning, for instance, of this decade,	36:20
	these final two decades we have left in this century,	36:23
	led to the election of what I consider	36:27
	an amiable incompetent, who is leading a government	36:30
	bent on reversing hard-earned social programs	36:34
	and civil rights of Americans less fortunate.	36:37
	The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 began the process	36:40
	of the national nullification of the needy,	36:44
	the gratuitous gratification of the gross and greedy,	36:47
	and ushered in the period of politics of penurious men,	36:50
	prevarication impropriety, pius beatitudes, and dare say it,	36:53
	downright swinishness.	36:58
	(audience laughs)	37:00
	(audience applause)	37:03
	The administration that took hold of the reins of leadership	37:07
	took the position that more jobs can best be provided	37:10
	by the private sector.	37:13
	Yet today, we see 13 million Americans out of work,	37:15
	and a known fact is that 80% of Blacks in some large cities	37:21
	in this nation are jobless.	37:24
	The last time, the very last time that the private sector	37:26
	provided full employment for Black Americans was more	37:31
	than 125 years ago, and it was known then as slavery.	37:35
	Well, not only are we faced with economic hard times,	37:42
	but we are also faced with an administration	37:48
	that has tried unsuccessfully to dismantle every hard-fought	37:50
	gain including the Voting Rights Act,	37:55
	and contrary to what they may say,	37:58
	civil rights have taken a backseat to this pervasive air	38:00
	of conservatism, led by such a unwholesome recalcitrance	38:05
	as Jesse Helms, John Yeast, Jeremiah Benton,	38:10
	and a host of other right-wing hypocrites who hypothesized	38:13
	that minorities and women are not partners	38:16
	in the American dream.	38:19
	Equal opportunity, affirmative action,	38:20
	and desegregation are in danger.	38:23
	what we are beginning to see	38:27
	is a problem	38:32
	that we're gonna take a long time to overcome.	38:34
	There appears to be a need on the part	38:39
	of this present administration,	38:41
	backed by a conservative congress,	38:43
	a conservative senate mind you,	38:47
	to roll back all of the gains	38:50
	in the areas of human rights, that were so hard fought.	38:53
	We read about it in the newspapers.	38:58
	We hear about it on the radio, and see it on television.	38:59
	And it is then that we begin to realize that we have no one	39:03
	who cares about those gains, and they perceive no problem	39:07
	in dismantling the programs that have given us	39:11
	the opportunity to aid us and making it on our own.	39:15
	We know that budgets will be slashed.	39:20
	We know that certain programs will be tightened	39:24
	at all levels of government, but what I'm saying,	39:27
	in terms of Martin's legacy, is that we must be on hand	39:32
	throughout the political process where this is done	39:36
	to make sure that the cuts are made by sensitive,	39:39
	caring folks, who are sensitive and caring for our folk.	39:43
	For Blacks and for the poor it is a time of despair	39:51
	as well as the time for hope.	39:55
	It is a convergence of all of these realities	39:58
	which confronts, mesmerizes, and challenges us today.	40:00
	There is despair, because of this land of plenty	40:05
	we still live in the margin of economic existence.	40:08
	Because, talent continues to be wasted through prejudice	40:12
	and discrimination.	40:16
	Because, there remain in the land of the free	40:17
	visible vestiges of slavery and racism.	40:20
	Because we must continue to fight for quality education.	40:23
	Because we must bear the brunt	40:27
	of much that is wrong in America.	40:30
	Because there is a jelly bean mentality which exists	40:33
	that says affirmative action, legal services for the poor,	40:38
	and a host of other positive gains of the past,	40:41
	are fair targets for this wave of conservatism.	40:44
	But, there is also reason for Hope.	40:49
	Significant gains have been made.	40:54
	The promised land is not yet in sight,	40:56
	but perseverance has brought us this far	40:59
	and the time has come for us to give political participation	41:01
	a chance.	41:05
	To use our talents forged out of necessity, and slavery,	41:06
	and segregation, and to use our numerous ballots	41:10
	in place of our limited bucks.	41:14
	So this is why I celebrate the birth	41:17
	of Martin Luther King Jr,	41:20
	the human catalyst for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.	41:22
	A positive statement of our citizenship,	41:26
	which with the help of our political allies,	41:29
	will be a thing, really, of the past	41:32
	if the present administration has it's way about it.	41:37
	But I also celebrate with pleas for aggressive	41:40
	political participation, not only because it is our legacy,	41:43
	but because it represents perhaps the most effective way	41:47
	to empower the disadvantaged,	41:50
	to give voice to the voiceless,	41:53
	to give substance to the invisible, and in the process	41:54
	to really achieve true greatness for our country.	41:58
	Less we forget, the year 1976 will be long remembered	42:02
	because of the impact of the Black vote.	42:07
	However, we must demonstrate in 1983 and beyond	42:10
	our continuing determination to be taken seriously	42:14
	in the political process.	42:19
	Hopefully, and I believe this, there is a new consciousness	42:22
	among us, a new reality in our communities,	42:27
	and the fundamental premise certainly isn't new at all.	42:31
	Martin lived it, but I think Frederick Douglas	42:35
	stated it most eloquently when he said,	42:38
	"Power concedes nothing without demand.	42:41
	"It never did and it never will."	42:45
	Men may not get all they pay for in this world,	42:51
	but they most certainly pay for all they get.	42:55
	Martin and all of our most effective civil rights leaders,	42:59
	and most courageous citizens,	43:02
	understood this premise clearly and acted accordingly.	43:04
	They and their allies agitated all over American,	43:08
	and lynching ended.	43:11
	They fought in the courts and legal segregation	43:13
	of public facilities crumbled.	43:15
	They protested in the streets of Memphis,	43:17
	the boulevards of Atlanta, the avenues of Birmingham,	43:19
	and the roads of North Carolina, and public accommodations	43:22
	went from lily white and polka dot overnight.	43:26
	They marched on highway 80 from Selma to Montgomery	43:29
	and their right to vote was reestablished.	43:33
	And in 1964, a president of the United States said,	43:36
	"We shall overcome."	43:40
	And in 1976, another president said,	43:42
	"I shall not forget your support."	43:46
	But in 1981, a president said,	43:49
	"The requirements under extension of the Voting Rights Act	43:53
	"as passed by the United States House of Representatives	43:56
	"was too harsh."	43:59
	I just want to remind you that the nature of our cause	44:03
	is not to seek power for power sake,	44:07
	nor notoriety,	44:12
	nor for the sake of massaging big egos,	44:15
	rather, our goal is the goal of America.	44:18
	And that simply is to achieve freedom, justice, and equality	44:22
	for all of us, lest none of us have true freedom, justice,	44:26
	and equality.	44:30
	Our goal in prayer, in protest, and in politics	44:32
	is to make government moral and responsive in employment,	44:37
	education, health, public services, and in our relations	44:40
	with help other peoples in other nations.	44:44
	Government must be the court of first resort everywhere	44:46
	that it touches our lives.	44:50
	And if this president and this nation truly want to show	44:52
	Black Americans that they are aware of the positive role	44:55
	that we have played in the development of this country,	44:58
	then they can insist that all of our public official's	45:02
	policies and programs be fused with the sensitivity	45:05
	to the special hurts of the black and the poor.	45:09
	And it is this sensitivity as minorities,	45:13
	which we have used, that has aided this country	45:16
	in reaching the heights it has in the world community.	45:20
	All we ask of this administration is that it be	45:24
	of moral leadership, that it recognize	45:29
	the need for that moral leadership,	45:34
	to a nation that sometimes seems	45:37
	too tired to fight for true justice and equality	45:39
	for all of us.	45:43
	The need for courage and conviction is greater today	45:44
	than it has been in the past.	45:47
	The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr is just as much	45:49
	this nation's as it is ours.	45:52
	We must recognize and accept	45:56
	the new Black consciousness	46:01
	to the extent that we are a part of the problem,	46:04
	we insist upon being a part of the solution.	46:07
	We want to be full partners in this country's	46:12
	policy-making franchise and equal beneficiaries	46:15
	of the fruits of a democratic society.	46:18
	We must make it clear that our program now is to revive	46:21
	and bring up to date the philosophical and moral dreams	46:25
	of the 60s, and the practical recognition that it is	46:29
	in the best interest of this country to convert these dreams	46:32
	to a reality.	46:36
	For any politician to receive the benefits of our legacy,	46:38
	there must be willingness on his part to adopt this	46:42
	as a part of his program, and be committed unreservedly	46:45
	to true racial equality, and hence the realization	46:50
	of the American dream.	46:55
	Those who do not, cannot take us for granted.	46:57
	Those who wish to turn the dream into a nightmare	47:01
	need not seek to share our political strength.	47:05
	Those who wish to put an end to the dream	47:09
	should be prepared to see us once again embark	47:13
	upon those courses of action that proved successful	47:16
	in the past, for we shall embark.	47:19

-	Vigilant and aggressive protests in our fight	0:03
	to keep the dreamer's dream.	0:06
	And I can assure them that as in the past	0:08
	we will win in spite of.	0:11
	It is our responsibility,	0:14
	our legacy to ensure that those who govern,	0:16
	govern wisely and fairly.	0:19
	It is up to us to carry on the unpopular political tradition	0:21
	of Martin Luther King Jr.,	0:25
	to search for justice and equality	0:27
	in every nook, in every cranny,	0:31
	and to speak our peace courageously.	0:33
	It is up to us to say as did the great educator	0:36
	that as this demanding, put up or shut up stage	0:39
	of the Civil Rights Movement, we must prepare ourselves	0:42
	to bear an additional burden of helping America save itself	0:46
	from its past mistakes and help develop new	0:49
	and higher standards of political morality and performance.	0:53
	I believe that if Martin were alive today,	0:59
	he would ask as I do, that you take to heart the words	1:02
	of Dean Alfange and adopt them as your creed.	1:07
	Dean Alfange wrote, "I seek opportunity, not security.	1:12
	"I do not wish to be a kept citizen,	1:17
	"humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.	1:19
	"I want to take the calculated risk,	1:23
	"to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.	1:26
	"I refuse to barter incentive for a dole.	1:30
	"I prefer the challenges of life	1:33
	"to the guaranteed existence.	1:35
	"The thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of Utopia.	1:37
	"I will not trade freedom for beneficence	1:42
	"nor my dignity for a handout.	1:45
	"I will never cower before any master	1:48
	"nor bend to any threat.	1:51
	"It is my heritage to stand erect,	1:53
	"proud,	1:57
	"and unafraid,	1:58
	"to think and act for myself,	2:00
	"enjoy the benefit of my creations	2:02
	"and face the world boldly and say,	2:04
	"This	2:07
	"I have done."	2:08
	And because of my friendship with Martin,	2:10
	and my close association with the movement,	2:15
	I can proudly quote those words written by Ossie Davis	2:19
	in his benediction for Purlie.	2:23
	I want you to listen to it and understand what he's saying.	2:26
	It goes something like this.	2:31
	"Tonight my friends I find in being black a thing	2:33
	"of beauty, a joy, a strength, a secret cup of gladness.	2:36
	"A native land in neither time nor place,	2:40
	"a native land in every black person's face.	2:42
	"Be loyal to yourself, your hair, your lips,	2:45
	"your southern speech, your laughing kindness,	2:49
	"a black person's kingdom is vast as any other.	2:51
	"Accept in full the sweetness of your blackness	2:55
	"not wishing to be white, nor red, nor yellow,	2:57
	"nor any other face or race, but this.	2:59
	"Farewell my deep and Africanic brothers, be brave.	3:03
	"Keep freedom in the family	3:07
	"and do what you can for the white folks	3:08
	"and write me in the care of the post office.	3:10
	"And now, may the Constitution of the United States	3:12
	"go with you,	3:16
	"the Declaration of Independence stand by you	3:16
	"and the Bill of Rights protect you,	3:18
	"and may your own dreams	3:21
	"be your only boundaries hence forth.	3:23
	"Now	3:26
	"and forever."	3:27
	It is up to you,	3:29
	it is up to each and everyone of us to simply say,	3:30
	here I stand.	3:34
	I can do no other.	3:37
	Thank you very much.	3:39
	(applause)	3:40
	(footsteps stepping)	4:17
	(soft thudding)	4:56
	(lively piano music)	5:11
	♪ I can remember ♪	5:27
	♪ Remember when ♪	5:29
	♪ This old life of mine was so empty within ♪	5:31
	♪ It had no meaning ♪	5:35
	♪ No meaning at all ♪	5:37
	♪ To the world ♪	5:39
	♪ I was lost ♪	5:41
	♪ Then one day I found Jesus ♪	5:43
	♪ For myself ♪	5:45
	♪ And I don't need nobody ♪
	♪ Nobody else ♪	5:49
	♪ Well ♪
	♪ 'Cause I'm happy ♪	5:52
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Everyday ♪	5:54
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	5:56
	♪ With him alone ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	5:59
	♪ Said I'm happy ♪	6:00
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Everyday ♪	6:02
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	6:04
	♪ With him alone ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	6:07
	♪ I can remember ♪	6:08
	♪ Remember when ♪	6:10
	(rhythmic clapping)
	♪ This old life of mine was so empty within ♪	6:12
	♪ I had no one ♪	6:16
	♪ No one to turn to ♪	6:18
	♪ I needed help ♪	6:20
	♪ Don't you know that I needed friend ♪	6:22
	♪ And I found Jesus ♪	6:24
	♪ For myself ♪	6:26
	♪ Whoa and I don't need nobody ♪	6:28
	♪ Nobody else ♪	6:30
	♪ Well ♪
	♪ 'Cause I'm happy ♪	6:33
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Everyday ♪	6:35
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	6:36
	♪ With him alone ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	6:39
	♪ You see I'm happy ♪	6:41
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Everyday ♪	6:43
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	6:45
	♪ With him alone ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	6:47
	♪ Since he came ♪	6:49
	♪ Into my life ♪	6:50
	♪ He made my joy complete ♪	6:52
	♪ And my life so sweet ♪	6:55
	♪ Since he came ♪	6:57
	♪ Into my life ♪	6:59
	♪ He made my joy complete ♪	7:01
	♪ And my life so sweet ♪	7:03
	♪ Since he came ♪	7:05
	♪ Into my life ♪	7:06
	♪ He made my joy complete ♪	7:08
	♪ And my life so sweet ♪	7:11
	♪ His name was Jesus ♪	7:12
	♪ Rose of Sharon ♪	7:14
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Prince of Peace ♪	7:16
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's my joy ♪	7:18
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He made my life complete ♪	7:20
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Tell me what's his name ♪	7:22
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ What's his name ♪	7:24
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Everyday ♪	7:26
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's the same ♪	7:28
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Lily of the valley ♪	7:30
	♪ Bright in the morning star ♪	7:32
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's my friend ♪	7:34
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Until the end ♪	7:36
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Tell me what's his name ♪	7:38
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ What's his name ♪	7:40
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Everyday ♪	7:42
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's the same ♪	7:44
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Coming on down ♪	7:46
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ To the old chilly Jordan ♪	7:47
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He'll be right there ♪	7:50
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ To bear all the burdens ♪	7:51
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Looked all around me ♪	7:53
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ And around me shined ♪	7:55
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ And I asked my lord ♪	7:57
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ If it's all mine ♪	7:59
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's my hope ♪	8:01
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's my hope ♪	8:03
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's my hope ♪	8:05
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Hope for tomorrow ♪	8:07
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Nothing but joy ♪	8:09
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Nothing but joy ♪	8:11
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's my joy ♪	8:13
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Joy and sorrow ♪	8:15
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Tell me what's his name ♪	8:17
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ What's his name ♪	8:19
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ What's his name ♪	8:21
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Everyday the same ♪	8:23
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's my friend ♪	8:25
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's my friend ♪	8:27
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ He's my friend ♪	8:29
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Until the end ♪	8:31
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Whoa ♪	8:33
	♪ And I don't need nobody ♪	8:35
	♪ Well ♪	8:38
	♪ 'Cause I'm happy ♪	8:39
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Everyday ♪	8:42
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	8:43
	♪ With him alone ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	8:46
	♪ You see I'm happy ♪	8:47
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ Everyday ♪	8:49
	♪ Jesus ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	8:51
	♪ With him alone ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	8:54
	♪ With him alone ♪	8:55
	♪ With him alone ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	8:58
	♪ I don't need mother, father, sister, brother ♪	8:59
	♪ No, no, no ♪	9:02
	♪ With him alone ♪	9:03
	♪ With him alone ♪
	♪ With him alone ♪	9:06
	♪ With him alone ♪	9:08
	♪ With him alone ♪
	(applause)	9:15
-	We are highly honored to have	10:09
	as our guest preacher this evening,	10:11
	the reverend Dr. C. Eric Lincoln,	10:13
	one of our own here at Duke University.	10:16
	Professor Lincoln was born in the cotton fields	10:20
	in Athens, Alabama.	10:24
	He has earned five academic degrees in his lifetime	10:26
	including the Bachelor of Divinity	10:31
	from the University of Chicago	10:34
	and the Doctor of Philosophy from Boston University.	10:36
	He is a contemporary and friend	10:40
	of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.	10:43
	During his professional career,	10:47
	Dr. Lincoln has taught or lectured	10:49
	in the areas of sociology and religion.	10:52
	It astounds me at the numbers of places	10:56
	where Dr. Lincoln has been so well esteemed.	11:00
	These include Union Theological Seminary in New York,	11:04
	Columbia University, Harvard University,	11:08
	MIT, London School of Economics,	11:12
	the University of Cape Town, South Africa,	11:15
	the University of Ghana,	11:19
	Fisk University, Vanderbilt, and Yale.	11:21
	He is presently professor of religion and culture	11:25
	here at Duke in the Department of Religion.	11:29
	Dr. Lincoln has treated the subject of the black church	11:34
	and black religion in two of his books entitled,	11:38
	The Black Church Since Fraizer,	11:42
	and The Black Experience in Religion.	11:45
	He has written numerous articles, given numerous lectures,	11:49
	written many books, and a current publication of his	11:53
	is collected poems	11:57
	published in 1982	12:00
	called, This Road Since Freedom.	12:02
	To the end of creating authentic literature	12:06
	on the black church, the Lily Endowment	12:10
	has awarded Professor Lincoln a five year grant	12:13
	for a program of research and publication	12:17
	on the black church.	12:20
	Dr. Lincoln has served as the principal investigator	12:22
	and director of a wide team of researchers and writers.	12:26
	They are compiling data on the areas of the demography	12:31
	of the black church, denomination sects and cults	12:35
	within the black church, the black church in business,	12:39
	and roles of black preachers.	12:43
	Also being studied are women in the black church,	12:46
	the black church in education,	12:50
	and the music and ritual of the black church.	12:53
	It is with this kind of information	12:57
	that Dr. Lincoln hopes to construct a kind of prognosis	12:59
	for the future of the institution of the black church.	13:04
	Dr. Lincoln is married to the former Lucy Cook	13:09
	who is an elementary school principal here in Durham.	13:13
	They now have two children at home,	13:17
	Hillary Anne and Less Charles the third.	13:20
	They live in the countryside on the outskirts of Durham now	13:24
	and as most of us know, Dr. Lincoln enjoys	13:28
	many outside activities here away from Duke,	13:31
	including gardening, playing pool,	13:34
	and most particularly his love for fishing.	13:38
	Dr. Lincoln is one of our nation's best examples	13:42
	of a scholar enabler.	13:47
	We are so pleased and proud	13:49
	that he has chosen to be with us tonight.	13:51
	We look forward to the word that he will bring us	13:55
	and we recognize him for the wonderful man he is.	13:58
	The warm human being who makes you feel at home	14:02
	whether you greet him in the hall, or stop in his office,	14:06
	or see him anyplace on this campus.	14:10
	Thank you, Dr. Lincoln for being with us	14:14
	and for your prophetic presence and ministry among us.	14:16
	(applause)	14:22
-	In another time and another place,	14:36
	there was a situation	14:41
	not unfamiliar to those of us	14:44
	who live in 20th century America.	14:49
	It was the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.	14:53
	That same Caesar who	15:00
	ruled as emperor when Jesus was crucified.	15:03
	Pontius Pilate was governor	15:09
	of Judaea.	15:14
	Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,	15:16
	his brother Philip	15:20
	was tetrarch of Ituraea.	15:22
	Annas	15:27
	and Caiaphas were high priests.	15:28
	The set pieces were all in place.	15:33
	Corruption was rampant.	15:39
	The poor and the weak were at the mercy of the power elite.	15:43
	The misery of the oppressed	15:50
	was matched only by their sense	15:54
	of dereliction and hopelessness.	15:58
	It was a familiar scene.	16:03
	Annas	16:06
	who was high priest	16:08
	was the,	16:12
	his son-in-law was Caiaphas who was high priest.	16:13
	All five of his sons were high priests.	16:17
	Herod and his brother ruled.	16:21
	It was a familiar situation in which the power	16:25
	and the glory	16:29
	was concentrated in the hands	16:31
	of a few.	16:35
	But through all their trials	16:38
	there were some who kept the faith,	16:40
	some who dared to hope	16:44
	for the light which had been promised them.	16:48
	And suddenly there appeared on the scene a stranger.	16:52
	A man not heard of	16:58
	in the councils of the power elite.	17:00
	A man not known	17:04
	among the petty sycophants	17:07
	and parasites	17:10
	who earned small privileges by selling their brothers	17:13
	and their sisters to their oppressors.	17:16
	A man who put principle	17:21
	above privilege.	17:25
	A man whose mission was to challenge	17:27
	the corruption	17:31
	that signified the status quo	17:33
	and to destroy	17:37
	the false	17:40
	and ugly	17:41
	premises upon which that society	17:43
	favored the rich and the powerful	17:47
	and debouched the poor	17:50
	and the weak.	17:54
	He was a man sent from God.	17:57
	A strong man, simple man,	18:01
	good man.	18:04
	He was not the light for which the people waited	18:06
	but he came he said to bear witness of that light.	18:12
	He was a man whose name was John.	18:19
	He was a voice crying in the wilderness	18:23
	of social and political decadence.	18:26
	He was a lonely prophet	18:31
	challenging,	18:35
	urging, imploring,	18:36
	begging the people to desist	18:40
	from their errors	18:43
	and to prepare themselves for a new dispensation	18:45
	which God was going to usher into history.	18:52
	"Be just in your dealings with the voiceless," he told them.	18:57
	"Be fair in your dealings with the weak,	19:02
	"be generous in your dealings with the poor,	19:06
	"because things are going to change.	19:10
	"Things are going to change.	19:15
	"The valleys are going to be filled.	19:19
	"The mountains are going to be laid low.	19:22
	"The crooked will be made straight,	19:26
	"the rough will be made smooth.	19:30
	"The wicked and unjust order	19:33
	"is going to be reversed.	19:37
	"People will share and share alike	19:41
	"and no man will be beholding to another.	19:45
	"Prepare	19:51
	"ye the way of the lord."	19:52
	As you may imagine,	19:56
	those gatekeepers of the establishment became aroused.	19:59
	The guardians of the status quo	20:06
	felt the tingle of nervous apprehension.	20:11
	The sycophants who derived their living	20:16
	and their petty privileges	20:18
	from selling out each other and delivering up	20:20
	the helpless as a prey	20:24
	were agitated with alarm	20:27
	lest their ill gotten games be jeopardized.	20:30
	They all hastened down to where John was preaching	20:36
	to see whether he was in fact	20:40
	the threat they supposed him to be.	20:43
	If he was,	20:47
	they had plans.	20:50
	They had plans for him.	20:54
	They intended to nip him in the bud	20:58
	before he could fairly blossom.	21:00
	They confronted John.	21:03
	"Who are you?	21:05
	"Who are you anyhow," they demanded.	21:06
	"Whose name are you preaching in?"	21:11
	"What is it you want?"	21:15
	When they found John uncompromising,	21:20
	you know the story.	21:24
	They delivered him up to their masters.	21:28
	They shut him up in jail.	21:32
	John	21:36
	was a disturber of the status quo.	21:39
	He was a man who could not be bought for the tinsel	21:44
	of honorific titles	21:47
	or with the petty political power that was delegated	21:50
	to the scoundrels	21:57
	who would do anything	22:00
	to maintain their own positions.	22:03
	He was a man who spurned their silver,	22:07
	who loathed their gold.	22:11
	He was a man	22:14
	who had a message to bring	22:16
	and he told it	22:19
	as it was.	22:21
	Yes,	22:24
	John was an intruder.	22:25
	He was a relentless challenge to the way things were.	22:29
	For his intrusion,	22:36
	for his intransigence,	22:39
	for his integrity	22:42
	John	22:47
	had to die.	22:48
	A call went out for his head.	22:52
	It was hacked off	22:57
	and delivered to those	22:59
	who had been inconvenienced by his mission	23:01
	as they ran and feasted while (mumbles) danced.	23:04
	Jerusalem,	23:13
	Jerusalem,	23:16
	Jerusalem.	23:19
	Thou that killest	23:22
	the prophets,	23:25
	how often	23:29
	have I wanted	23:32
	to take you to my bosom	23:34
	as a mother hen	23:38
	shelters her chicks.	23:41
	How often	23:44
	have I wanted	23:46
	to love you,	23:49
	to protect you, to be a part of you	23:51
	but you would not.	23:56
	In our time, in our own country,	24:00
	there was a crisis, there is a crisis	24:07
	not unlike the one	24:11
	to which John addressed himself in his time.	24:13
	Again, the set pieces were in place.	24:18
	The rulers of this age	24:23
	ruled for themselves,	24:26
	for their kind, for their class.	24:29
	The power structure was oblivious of the poor,	24:34
	the weak,	24:37
	the voiceless,	24:39
	the blacks were subordinated and demeaned	24:41
	and forced to live in poverty and separation	24:44
	from all the rest of society.	24:49
	Their calls for justice were unheeded,	24:54
	their struggles for relief were unavailing,	24:59
	their attempts to love and to be loved were spurned.	25:04
	They were mocked, they were denied, they were excluded.	25:09
	Even the enemies	25:15
	of the country	25:17
	who had sworn to destroy us all	25:19
	were honored above every black defender	25:24
	who would give his life	25:28
	for America.	25:32
	America was a cesspool of hatred,	25:35
	prejudice, and corrupted human relations.	25:39
	To us, as to the Jews of that other time,	25:46
	there was a man sent from God.	25:52
	Like John,	25:57
	he was an intruder	25:59
	but he had a message for America,	26:02
	he had a plan	26:07
	to save us,	26:10
	to save us	26:13
	from the awesome Holocaust	26:15
	that loomed so ominously in the future of this country.	26:19
	Unlike John	26:26
	who strengthened himself with discipline and prayer	26:29
	and living in the wilderness,	26:33
	Martin Luther King	26:36
	was disciplined with the urgencies of urban living.	26:39
	The wilderness of the black ghetto.	26:44
	John	26:49
	was a simple man.	26:51
	Martin Luther King was educated and urbane.	26:53
	He was a man who could talk with the oppressors	26:58
	because he knew their history.	27:04
	He knew their inclinations.	27:07
	John bided his time.	27:12
	Martin Luther King	27:16
	was thrust center stage	27:19
	in the audio of Montgomery.	27:22
	Like John,	27:28
	he was perceived as a threat,	27:30
	and like John, he was considered an intruder,	27:33
	and like John,	27:38
	he would have to die.	27:40
	The minions of the mighty came to see him.	27:43
	"Who are you,"	27:48
	they asked.	27:51
	"What do you want?"	27:53
	"What kind of a nigger are you anyhow?"	27:57
	When he answered them, they laughed,	28:02
	at first.	28:06
	Then they trembled,	28:08
	and then they became exceedingly rapt	28:11
	for this	28:15
	is what he said.	28:17
	"Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.	28:21
	"Now is the time to rise from the dark valley of segregation	28:28
	"and walk in the sunlight of racial justice.	28:34
	"Now is the time to lift our nation	28:40
	"to the solid rock of brotherhood.	28:44
	"Now is the time to make justice a reality	28:48
	"for all of God's children.	28:53
	"I have a dream	28:58
	"and we have come	29:02
	"to cash a check	29:04
	"that will give us on demand	29:08
	"the riches of freedom,	29:13
	"the security of justice."	29:17
	Those who listened were appalled.	29:23
	Who indeed	29:27
	was this man,	29:29
	this insignificant black preacher	29:31
	who dared address America in such terms?	29:34
	Who was this dreamer?	29:40
	We have no time for dreams.	29:44
	So then they sent for him in secret and demanded of him,	29:49
	"What is it that you really want?	29:55
	"There has to be a price.	29:58
	"What do you want?	30:00
	"We can honor you with long titles,	30:02
	"we can honor you in ways such as none of your people	30:08
	"have never experienced before,	30:13
	"we can give you a professorship	30:16
	"at one of our leading institutions if you want it.	30:18
	"We can make you president	30:22
	"of just about any colored college you name.	30:23
	"We can even give you an interracial church	30:28
	"somewhere where they allow that sort of thing.	30:32
	"All this we can give you	30:37
	"if only	30:40
	"you would do like the rest of them,	30:43
	"tell us what you want.	30:46
	"Tell us.	30:50
	"We're all friends here."	30:52
	Martin Luther King responded,	30:56
	"I want justice,	31:00
	"I want equality,	31:03
	"I want dignity	31:06
	"for my people.	31:09
	"You see,	31:11
	"I have a dream."	31:13
	The response was, "You are either a madman or a fool	31:17
	"and perhaps you are both.	31:21
	"As for your dream,	31:24
	"never,	31:26
	"never,	31:28
	"never,	31:29
	"never!	31:30
	"Never."	31:32
	No,	31:35
	not ever	31:36
	is it to be.	31:38
	So they cast him out and made him an outlaw.	31:42
	They bombed his home,	31:49
	he persisted in his dream.	31:51
	They put him in jail,	31:55
	he persisted in his dream.	31:58
	They set the dogs on him,	32:02
	he never wavered.	32:05
	They whipped his head,	32:07
	he persisted.	32:10
	They sic the FBI on him,	32:12
	he carried on.	32:15
	They mocked him	32:17
	and tried to discredit him in every way possible,	32:19
	he persisted.	32:25
	Finally,	32:28
	in an unguarded moment,	32:31
	they murdered him.	32:34
	Jerusalem,	32:38
	Jerusalem,	32:40
	Jerusalem,	32:42
	America	32:44
	thou who killest the prophets	32:47
	how shall we ever	32:52
	overcome?	32:55
	Martin Luther King was an intruder.	32:59
	An improbable intruder.	33:02
	He did not belong to the privileged coterie	33:06
	of those who presumed themselves the proper shapers	33:10
	of the destiny of a nation	33:15
	but he was able,	33:18
	he was prepared,	33:21
	and he was armed with perhaps the only philosophy	33:24
	which could have been effective in forestalling	33:29
	the American Holocaust which was then in the making	33:34
	and may even now	33:40
	be in	33:45
	the making.	33:48
	He was a man of love.	33:51
	He was a man of peace.	33:55
	He was a man who dared to test his own commitments	33:58
	in a critical confrontation with hatred and hostility.	34:02
	He was a man out of time and out of place,	34:08
	he was an improbable person	34:13
	for the task he set out to accomplish.	34:15
	He was an intruder in his own house.	34:19
	An alien performer	34:22
	in a tragic drama about himself and his people	34:25
	and his country.	34:30
	But	34:33
	he was magnificent.	34:35
	He was a magnificent intruder.	34:40
	My country 'tis of thee I sing,	34:47
	why kill	34:52
	Martin Luther King?	34:55
	Thank you.	34:56
	(applause)	34:58
	(growing applause)	35:20
	(gospel piano music)	35:51
	♪ We shall overcome ♪	36:19
	♪ The truth shall make us free ♪	36:25
	♪ The truth shall make us free ♪	36:31
	♪ The truth shall make us free ♪	36:37
	♪ Oh ♪	36:43
	♪ Oh ♪	36:49
	♪ Deep ♪	36:51
	♪ In my heart ♪	36:52
	♪ I do ♪	36:57
	♪ Believe ♪	36:59
	♪ The truth shall make us free ♪	37:03
	♪ Someday ♪	37:08
	♪ We shall live in peace ♪	37:17
	♪ We shall live in peace ♪	37:23
	♪ We shall live in peace ♪	37:29
	♪ Oh ♪	37:34
	♪ Oh ♪	37:41
	♪ Deep ♪	37:42
	♪ In my heart ♪	37:44
	♪ I do ♪	37:49
	♪ Believe ♪	37:51
	♪ We shall live in peace ♪	37:56
	♪ Someday ♪	38:01
-	Before we have the benediction	38:10
	I would like to invite those participants	38:12
	in the worship service to come and stand	38:14
	on the chapel steps so that those of you who would like	38:17
	to greet them may do so after the service.	38:20
	Would you come and stand at the steps please, everyone.	38:23
	(soft footsteps stepping)	38:30
-	And now the lord bless you and keep you,	38:44
	the lord's face shine upon you,	38:48
	the lord's countenance be lifted up among you	38:51
	and give you peace.	38:55
	Amen.	38:57

Item Info

Title:

C. Eric Lincoln and Mickey McHenry - Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Service (January 14, 1983)

Description:

One of Martin Luther King Jr.'s greatest legacies is the political legacy he left for the disenfranchised and poor. It is up to us to continue this legacy by demanding for equality and justice for all the disadvantage and to use the political process and governmental avenues to seek liberation for all Americans. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 23:50. Sermon end time: (Part 2) 03:43.
Key quotation: “It is up to us to carry on the unpopular political tradition of Martin Luther King Jr., to search for justice and equality in every nook, in every cranny, and to speak our peace courageously.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4r49gq3b

Date:

January 14, 1983

Speaker:

Biblical Book:

Matthew

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-0126
ref7775_y7j
uachapelsermaud
duke:321111
dcrau001117
ark:/87924/r4r49gq3b
8dc1dad1-f159-412a-8834-da0e04ac3801

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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C. Eric Lincoln and Mickey McHenry - Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Service (January 14, 1983)

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