[nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy & MLK JR. Rememberence & His View of the U.S. Economy

[Robin]

In the words of the GREAT Martin luther King JR. 
(MLK JR.), I give you this as my response to your EMAIL post. Read it.


you are always telling us to

lift ourselves by our own bootstraps, and yet we 
are being robbed every day. Put something back in 
the ghetto." So along with our demand for jobs, we said,

"We also demand that you put money in the Negro 
savings and loan association and that you take 
ads, advertise, in the Cleveland Call & Post, the Negro

newspaper." So along with the new jobs, Sealtest 
has now deposited thousands of dollars in the 
Negro bank of Cleveland and has already started taking ads

in the Negro newspaper in that city. This is the 
power of Operation Breadbasket. [applause]



Now, for fear that you may feel that it’s limited 
to Chicago and Cleveland, let me say to you that 
we've gotten even more than that. In Atlanta, Georgia,

Breadbasket has been equally successful in the 
South. Here the emphasis has been divided between 
governmental employment and private industry. And while

I do not have time to go into the details, I want 
to commend the men who have been working with it 
here: the Reverend Bennett, the Reverend Joe Boone,

the Reverend J. C. Ward, Reverend Dorsey, 
Reverend Greer, and I could go on down the line, 
and they have stood up along with all of the other ministers.

But here is the story that's not printed in the 
newspapers in Atlanta: as a result of Operation 
Breadbasket, over the last three years, we have added about

twenty-five million dollars of new income to the 
Negro community every year. [applause]



Now as you know, Operation Breadbasket has now 
gone national in the sense that we had a national 
conference in Chicago and agreed to launch a nationwide

program, which you will hear more about.



Finally, SCLC has entered the field of housing. 
Under the leadership of attorney James Robinson, 
we have already contracted to build 152 units of low-income

housing with apartments for the elderly on a 
choice downtown Atlanta site under the 
sponsorship of Ebenezer Baptist Church. This is the first project [applause],

this is the first project of a proposed southwide 
Housing Development Corporation which we hope to 
develop in conjunction with SCLC, and through this corporation

we hope to build housing from Mississippi to 
North Carolina using Negro workmen, Negro 
architects, Negro attorneys, and Negro financial institutions throughout.

And it is our feeling that in the next two or 
three years, we can build right here in the South 
forty million dollars worth of new housing for Negroes,

and with millions and millions of dollars in 
income coming to the Negro community. [applause]



Now there are many other things that I could tell 
you, but time is passing. This, in short, is an 
account of SCLC's work over the last year. It is a record

of which we can all be proud.



With all the struggle and all the achievements, 
we must face the fact, however, that the Negro 
still lives in the basement of the Great Society. He is

still at the bottom, despite the few who have 
penetrated to slightly higher levels. Even where 
the door has been forced partially open, mobility for the

Negro is still sharply restricted. There is often 
no bottom at which to start, and when there is 
there's almost no room at the top. In consequence, Negroes

are still impoverished aliens in an affluent 
society. They are too poor even to rise with the 
society, too impoverished by the ages to be able to ascend

by using their own resources. And the Negro did 
not do this himself; it was done to him. For more 
than half of his American history, he was enslaved. Yet,

he built the spanning bridges and the grand 
mansions, the sturdy docks and stout factories of 
the South. His unpaid labor made cotton "King" and established

America as a significant nation in international 
commerce. Even after his release from chattel 
slavery, the nation grew over him, submerging him. It became

the richest, most powerful society in the history 
of man, but it left the Negro far behind.



And so we still have a long, long way to go 
before we reach the promised land of freedom. 
Yes, we have left the dusty soils of Egypt, and we have crossed

a Red Sea that had for years been hardened by a 
long and piercing winter of massive resistance, 
but before we reach the majestic shores of the promised

land, there will still be gigantic mountains of 
opposition ahead and prodigious hilltops of 
injustice. (Yes, That’s right) We still need some Paul Revere

of conscience to alert every hamlet and every 
village of America that revolution is still at 
hand. Yes, we need a chart; we need a compass; indeed, we

need some North Star to guide us into a future 
shrouded with impenetrable uncertainties.



Now, in order to answer the question, "Where do 
we go from here?" which is our theme, we must 
first honestly recognize where we are now. When the Constitution

was written, a strange formula to determine taxes 
and representation declared that the Negro was 
sixty percent of a person. Today another curious formula

seems to declare he is fifty percent of a person. 
Of the good things in life, the Negro has 
approximately one half those of whites. Of the bad things of

life, he has twice those of whites. Thus, half of 
all Negroes live in substandard housing. And 
Negroes have half the income of whites. When we turn to

the negative experiences of life, the Negro has a 
double share: There are twice as many unemployed; 
the rate of infant mortality among Negroes is double

that of whites; and there are twice as many 
Negroes dying in Vietnam as whites in proportion 
to their size in the population. (Yes) [applause]



In other spheres, the figures are equally 
alarming. In elementary schools, Negroes lag one 
to three years behind whites, and their segregated schools (Yeah)

receive substantially less money per student than 
the white schools. (Those schools) One-twentieth 
as many Negroes as whites attend college. Of employed

Negroes, seventy-five percent hold menial jobs. This is where we are.



Where do we go from here? First, we must 
massively assert our dignity and worth. We must 
stand up amid a system that still oppresses us and develop an

unassailable and majestic sense of values. We 
must no longer be ashamed of being black. (All 
right) The job of arousing manhood within a people that have

been taught for so many centuries that they are nobody is not easy.



Even semantics have conspired to make that which 
is black seem ugly and degrading. (Yes) In 
Roget's Thesaurus there are some 120 synonyms for blackness

and at least sixty of them are offensive, such 
words as blot, soot, grim, devil, and foul. And 
there are some 134 synonyms for whiteness and all are favorable,

expressed in such words as purity, cleanliness, 
chastity, and innocence. A white lie is better 
than a black lie. (Yes) The most degenerate member of a

family is the "black sheep." (Yes) Ossie Davis 
has suggested that maybe the English language 
should be reconstructed so that teachers will not be forced

to teach the Negro child sixty ways to despise 
himself, and thereby perpetuate his false sense 
of inferiority, and the white child 134 ways to adore himself,

and thereby perpetuate his false sense of 
superiority. [applause] The tendency to ignore 
the Negro's contribution to American life and strip him of his

personhood is as old as the earliest history 
books and as contemporary as the morning's newspaper. (Yes)



To offset this cultural homicide, the Negro must 
rise up with an affirmation of his own Olympian 
manhood. (Yes) Any movement for the Negro's freedom that

overlooks this necessity is only waiting to be 
buried. (Yes) As long as the mind is enslaved, 
the body can never be free. (Yes) Psychological freedom,

a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful 
weapon against the long night of physical 
slavery. No Lincolnian Emancipation Proclamation, no Johnsonian

civil rights bill can totally bring this kind of 
freedom. The Negro will only be free when he 
reaches down to the inner depths of his own being and signs

with the pen and ink of assertive manhood his own 
emancipation proclamation. And with a spirit 
straining toward true self-esteem, the Negro must boldly

throw off the manacles of self-abnegation and say 
to himself and to the world, "I am somebody. (Oh 
yeah) I am a person. I am a man with dignity and honor.

(Go ahead) I have a rich and noble history, 
however painful and exploited that history has 
been. Yes, I was a slave through my foreparents (That’s right),

and now I’m not ashamed of that. I'm ashamed of 
the people who were so sinful to make me a 
slave." (Yes sir) Yes [applause], yes, we must stand up and

say, "I'm black (Yes sir), but I'm black and 
beautiful." (Yes) This [applause], this 
self-affirmation is the black man's need, made compelling (All right)

by the white man's crimes against him. (Yes)



Now another basic challenge is to discover how to 
organize our strength in to economic and 
political power. Now no one can deny that the Negro is in dire

need of this kind of legitimate power. Indeed, 
one of the great problems that the Negro 
confronts is his lack of power. From the old plantations of the

South to the newer ghettos of the North, the 
Negro has been confined to a life of 
voicelessness (That’s true) and powerlessness. (So true) Stripped of

the right to make decisions concerning his life 
and destiny he has been subject to the 
authoritarian and sometimes whimsical decisions of the white power

structure. The plantation and the ghetto were 
created by those who had power, both to confine 
those who had no power and to perpetuate their powerlessness.

Now the problem of transforming the ghetto, 
therefore, is a problem of power, a confrontation 
between the forces of power demanding change and the forces

of power dedicated to the preserving of the 
status quo. Now, power properly understood is 
nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength

required to bring about social, political, and 
economic change. Walter Reuther defined power one 
day. He said, "Power is the ability of a labor union like

UAW to make the most powerful corporation in the 
world, General Motors, say, 'Yes' when it wants 
to say 'No.' That's power." [applause]



Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have 
our moral convictions and concerns, and so often 
we have problems with power. But there is nothing wrong

with power if power is used correctly.



You see, what happened is that some of our 
philosophers got off base. And one of the great 
problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have

usually been contrasted as opposites, polar 
opposites, so that love is identified with a 
resignation of power, and power with a denial of love. It was

this misinterpretation that caused the 
philosopher Nietzsche, who was a philosopher of 
the will to power, to reject the Christian concept of love. It was

this same misinterpretation which induced 
Christian theologians to reject Nietzsche's 
philosophy of the will to power in the name of the Christian idea

of love.



Now, we got to get this thing right. What is 
needed is a realization that power without love 
is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental

and anemic. (Yes) Power at its best [applause], 
power at its best is love (Yes) implementing the 
demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting

everything that stands against love. (Speak) And 
this is what we must see as we move on.



Now what has happened is that we've had it wrong 
and mixed up in our country, and this has led 
Negro Americans in the past to seek their goals through

love and moral suasion devoid of power, and white 
Americans to seek their goals through power 
devoid of love and conscience. It is leading a few extremists

today to advocate for Negroes the same 
destructive and conscienceless power that they 
have justly abhorred in whites. It is precisely this collision of

immoral power with powerless morality which 
constitutes the major crisis of our times. (Yes)



Now we must develop progress, or rather, a 
program­and I can't stay on this long­that will 
drive the nation to a guaranteed annual income. Now, early in

the century this proposal would have been greeted 
with ridicule and denunciation as destructive of 
initiative and responsibility. At that time economic

status was considered the measure of the 
individual's abilities and talents. And in the 
thinking of that day, the absence of worldly goods indicated a

want of industrious habits and moral fiber. We've 
come a long way in our understanding of human 
motivation and of the blind operation of our economic system.

Now we realize that dislocations in the market 
operation of our economy and the prevalence of 
discrimination thrust people into idleness and bind them

in constant or frequent unemployment against 
their will. The poor are less often dismissed, I 
hope, from our conscience today by being branded as inferior

and incompetent. We also know that no matter how 
dynamically the economy develops and expands, it 
does not eliminate all poverty.



The problem indicates that our emphasis must be 
twofold: We must create full employment, or we 
must create incomes. People must be made consumers by one

method or the other. Once they are placed in this 
position, we need to be concerned that the 
potential of the individual is not wasted. New forms of work

that enhance the social good will have to be 
devised for those for whom traditional jobs are 
not available. In 1879 Henry George anticipated this state

of affairs when he wrote in Progress and Poverty:



The fact is that the work which improves the 
condition of mankind, the work which extends 
knowledge and increases power and enriches literature and elevates

thought, is not done to secure a living. It is 
not the work of slaves driven to their tasks 
either by the, that of a taskmaster or by animal necessities.

It is the work of men who somehow find a form of 
work that brings a security for its own sake and 
a state of society where want is abolished.



Work of this sort could be enormously increased, 
and we are likely to find that the problem of 
housing, education, instead of preceding the elimination

of poverty, will themselves be affected if 
poverty is first abolished. The poor, transformed 
into purchasers, will do a great deal on their own to alter

housing decay. Negroes, who have a double 
disability, will have a greater effect on 
discrimination when they have the additional weapon of cash to use

in their struggle.



Beyond these advantages, a host of positive 
psychological changes inevitably will result from 
widespread economic security. The dignity of the individual

will flourish when the decisions concerning his 
life are in his own hands, when he has the 
assurance that his income is stable and certain, and when he

knows that he has the means to seek 
self-improvement. Personal conflicts between 
husband, wife, and children will diminish when the unjust measurement

of human worth on a scale of dollars is eliminated.



Now, our country can do this. John Kenneth 
Galbraith said that a guaranteed annual income 
could be done for about twenty billion dollars a year. And I

say to you today, that if our nation can spend 
thirty-five billion dollars a year to fight an 
unjust, evil war in Vietnam, and twenty billion dollars to

put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of 
dollars to put God's children on their own two 
feet right here on earth. [applause]



Now, let me rush on to say we must reaffirm our 
commitment to nonviolence. And I want to stress 
this. The futility of violence in the struggle for racial

justice has been tragically etched in all the 
recent Negro riots. Now, yesterday, I tried to 
analyze the riots and deal with the causes for them. Today

I want to give the other side. There is something 
painfully sad about a riot. One sees screaming 
youngsters and angry adults fighting hopelessly and aimlessly

against impossible odds. (Yeah) And deep down 
within them, you perceive a desire for 
self-destruction, a kind of suicidal longing. (Yes)



Occasionally, Negroes contend that the 1965 Watts 
riot and the other riots in various cities 
represented effective civil rights action. But those who express

this view always end up with stumbling words when 
asked what concrete gains have been won as a 
result. At best, the riots have produced a little additional

anti-poverty money allotted by frightened 
government officials and a few water sprinklers 
to cool the children of the ghettos. It is something like improving

the food in the prison while the people remain 
securely incarcerated behind bars. (That’s right) 
Nowhere have the riots won any concrete improvement such

as have the organized protest demonstrations.



And when one tries to pin down advocates of 
violence as to what acts would be effective, the 
answers are blatantly illogical. Sometimes they talk of overthrowing

racist state and local governments and they talk 
about guerrilla warfare. They fail to see that no 
internal revolution has ever succeeded in overthrowing

a government by violence unless the government 
had already lost the allegiance and effective 
control of its armed forces. Anyone in his right mind knows

that this will not happen in the United States. 
In a violent racial situation, the power 
structure has the local police, the state troopers, the National

Guard, and finally, the army to call on, all of 
which are predominantly white. (Yes) Furthermore, 
few, if any, violent revolutions have been successful

unless the violent minority had the sympathy and 
support of the non-resisting majority. Castro may 
have had only a few Cubans actually fighting with him

and up in the hills (Yes), but he would have 
never overthrown the Batista regime unless he had 
had the sympathy of the vast majority of Cuban people. It

is perfectly clear that a violent revolution on 
the part of American blacks would find no 
sympathy and support from the white population and very little

from the majority of the Negroes themselves.



This is no time for romantic illusions and empty 
philosophical debates about freedom. This is a 
time for action. (All right) What is needed is a strategy

for change, a tactical program that will bring 
the Negro into the mainstream of American life as 
quickly as possible. So far, this has only been offered

by the nonviolent movement. Without recognizing 
this we will end up with solutions that don't 
solve, answers that don't answer, and explanations that don't

explain. [applause]



And so I say to you today that I still stand by 
nonviolence. (Yes) And I am still convinced 
[applause], and I'm still convinced that it is the most potent

weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for justice in this country.



And the other thing is, I'm concerned about a 
better world. I'm concerned about justice; I'm 
concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned about truth. (That’s

right) And when one is concerned about that, he 
can never advocate violence. For through violence 
you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder.

(Yes) Through violence you may murder a liar, but 
you can't establish truth. (That's right) Through 
violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder

hate through violence. (All right, That’s right) 
Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that. [applause]



And I say to you, I have also decided to stick 
with love, for I know that love is ultimately the 
only answer to mankind's problems. (Yes) And I'm going

to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't 
popular to talk about it in some circles today. 
(No) And I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I

talk about love; I'm talking about a strong, 
demanding love. (Yes) For I have seen too much 
hate. (Yes) I've seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs

in the South. (Yeah) I've seen hate on the faces 
of too many Klansmen and too many White Citizens 
Councilors in the South to want to hate, myself, because

every time I see it, I know that it does 
something to their faces and their personalities, 
and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear.

(Yes, That’s right) I have decided to love. 
[applause] If you are seeking the highest good, I 
think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing

is that we aren't moving wrong when we do it, 
because John was right, God is love. (Yes) He who 
hates does not know God, but he who loves has the key that

unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.



And so I say to you today, my friends, that you 
may be able to speak with the tongues of men and 
angels (All right); you may have the eloquence of articulate

speech; but if you have not love, it means 
nothing. (That's right) Yes, you may have the 
gift of prophecy; you may have the gift of scientific prediction

(Yes sir) and understand the behavior of 
molecules (All right); you may break into the 
storehouse of nature (Yes sir) and bring forth many new insights;

yes, you may ascend to the heights of academic 
achievement (Yes sir) so that you have all 
knowledge (Yes sir, Yes); and you may boast of your great institutions

of learning and the boundless extent of your 
degrees; but if you have not love, all of these 
mean absolutely nothing. (Yes) You may even give your goods

to feed the poor (Yes sir); you may bestow great 
gifts to charity (Speak); and you may tower high 
in philanthropy; but if you have not love, your charity

means nothing. (Yes sir) You may even give your 
body to be burned and die the death of a martyr, 
and your spilt blood may be a symbol of honor for generations

yet unborn, and thousands may praise you as one 
of history's greatest heroes; but if you have not 
love (Yes, All right), your blood was spilt in vain.

What I'm trying to get you to see this morning is 
that a man may be self-centered in his 
self-denial and self-righteous in his self-sacrifice. His generosity

may feed his ego, and his piety may feed his 
pride. (Speak) So without love, benevolence 
becomes egotism, and martyrdom becomes spiritual pride.



I want to say to you as I move to my conclusion, 
as we talk about "Where do we go from here?" that 
we must honestly face the fact that the movement must

address itself to the question of restructuring 
the whole of American society. (Yes) There are 
forty million poor people here, and one day we must ask

the question, "Why are there forty million poor 
people in America?" And when you begin to ask 
that question, you are raising a question about the economic

system, about a broader distribution of wealth. 
When you ask that question, you begin to question 
the capitalistic economy. (Yes) And I'm simply saying

that more and more, we've got to begin to ask 
questions about the whole society. We are called 
upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's marketplace.

(Yes) But one day we must come to see that an 
edifice which produces beggars needs 
restructuring. (All right) It means that questions must be raised. And

you see, my friends, when you deal with this you 
begin to ask the question, "Who owns the oil?" 
(Yes) You begin to ask the question, "Who owns the iron

ore?" (Yes) You begin to ask the question, "Why 
is it that people have to pay water bills in a 
world that's two-thirds water?" (All right) These are words

that must be said. (All right)



Now, don't think you have me in a bind today. I'm 
not talking about communism. What I'm talking 
about is far beyond communism. (Yeah) My inspiration didn't

come from Karl Marx (Speak); my inspiration 
didn't come from Engels; my inspiration didn't 
come from Trotsky; my inspiration didn't come from Lenin. Yes,

I read Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital a long 
time ago (Well), and I saw that maybe Marx didn't 
follow Hegel enough. (All right) He took his dialectics,

but he left out his idealism and his 
spiritualism. And he went over to a German 
philosopher by the name of Feuerbach, and took his materialism and made

it into a system that he called "dialectical 
materialism." (Speak) I have to reject that.



What I'm saying to you this morning is communism 
forgets that life is individual. (Yes) Capitalism 
forgets that life is social. (Yes, Go ahead) And the

kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the 
thesis of communism nor the antithesis of 
capitalism, but in a higher synthesis. (Speak) [applause] It is

found in a higher synthesis (Come on) that 
combines the truths of both. (Yes) Now, when I 
say questioning the whole society, it means ultimately coming

to see that the problem of racism, the problem of 
economic exploitation, and the problem of war are 
all tied together. (All right) These are the triple

evils that are interrelated.



And if you will let me be a preacher just a 
little bit. (Speak) One day [applause], one 
night, a juror came to Jesus (Yes sir) and he wanted to know what

he could do to be saved. (Yeah) Jesus didn't get 
bogged down on the kind of isolated approach of 
what you shouldn't do. Jesus didn't say, "Now Nicodemus,

you must stop lying." (Oh yeah) He didn't say, 
"Nicodemus, now you must not commit adultery." He 
didn't say, "Now Nicodemus, you must stop cheating if

you are doing that." He didn't say, "Nicodemus, 
you must stop drinking liquor if you are doing 
that excessively." He said something altogether different,

because Jesus realized something basic (Yes): 
that if a man will lie, he will steal. (Yes) And 
if a man will steal, he will kill. (Yes) So instead of just

getting bogged down on one thing, Jesus looked at 
him and said, "Nicodemus, you must be born again." [applause]



In other words, "Your whole structure (Yes) must 
be changed." [applause] A nation that will keep 
people in slavery for 244 years will "thingify" them and

make them things. (Speak) And therefore, they 
will exploit them and poor people generally 
economically. (Yes) And a nation that will exploit economically

will have to have foreign investments and 
everything else, and it will have to use its 
military might to protect them. All of these problems are tied together.

(Yes) [applause]



What I'm saying today is that we must go from 
this convention and say, "America, you must be born again!" [applause] (Oh yes)



And so, I conclude by saying today that we have a 
task, and let us go out with a divine dissatisfaction. (Yes)



Let us be dissatisfied until America will no 
longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. (All right)



Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until the tragic 
walls that separate the outer city of wealth and 
comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall

be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice. (Yes sir)



Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until those who live 
on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security.



Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until slums are cast 
into the junk heaps of history (Yes), and every 
family will live in a decent, sanitary home.



Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until the dark 
yesterdays of segregated schools will be 
transformed into bright tomorrows of quality integrated education.



Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not 
seen as a problem but as an opportunity to 
participate in the beauty of diversity.



Let us be dissatisfied (All right) until men and 
women, however black they may be, will be judged 
on the basis of the content of their character, not on

the basis of the color of their skin. (Yeah) Let us be dissatisfied. [applause]



Let us be dissatisfied (Well) until every state 
capitol (Yes) will be housed by a governor who 
will do justly, who will love mercy, and who will walk humbly

with his God.



Let us be dissatisfied [applause] until from 
every city hall, justice will roll down like 
waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. (Yes)



Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until that day when 
the lion and the lamb shall lie down together 
(Yes), and every man will sit under his own vine and fig

tree, and none shall be afraid.



Let us be dissatisfied (Yes), and men will 
recognize that out of one blood (Yes) God made 
all men to dwell upon the face of the earth. (Speak sir)



Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody 
will shout, "White Power!" when nobody will 
shout, "Black Power!" but everybody will talk about God's

power and human power. [applause]



And I must confess, my friends (Yes sir), that 
the road ahead will not always be smooth. (Yes) 
There will still be rocky places of frustration (Yes) and

meandering points of bewilderment. There will be 
inevitable setbacks here and there. (Yes) And 
there will be those moments when the buoyancy of hope will

be transformed into the fatigue of despair. 
(Well) Our dreams will sometimes be shattered and 
our ethereal hopes blasted. (Yes) We may again, with tear-drenched

eyes, have to stand before the bier of some 
courageous civil rights worker whose life will be 
snuffed out by the dastardly acts of bloodthirsty mobs. (Well)

But difficult and painful as it is (Well), we 
must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious 
faith in the future. (Well) And as we continue our charted

course, we may gain consolation from the words so 
nobly left by that great black bard, who was also 
a great freedom fighter of yesterday, James Weldon

Johnson (Yes):



Stony the road we trod (Yes),

Bitter the chastening rod

Felt in the days

When hope unborn had died. (Yes)

Yet with a steady beat,

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place

For which our fathers sighed?

We have come over a way

That with tears has been watered. (Well)

We have come treading our paths

Through the blood of the slaughtered.

Out from the gloomy past,

Till now we stand at last (Yes)

Where the bright gleam

Of our bright star is cast.



Let this affirmation be our ringing cry. (Well) 
It will give us the courage to face the 
uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength

as we continue our forward stride toward the city 
of freedom. (Yes) When our days become dreary 
with low-hovering clouds of despair (Well), and when our

nights become darker than a thousand midnights 
(Well), let us remember (Yes) that there is a 
creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic

mountains of evil (Well), a power that is able to 
make a way out of no way (Yes) and transform dark 
yesterdays into bright tomorrows. (Speak)



Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe 
is long, but it bends toward justice. Let us 
realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: "Truth, crushed

to earth, will rise again." Let us go out 
realizing that the Bible is right: "Be not 
deceived. God is not mocked. (Oh yeah) Whatsoever a man soweth (Yes),

that (Yes) shall he also reap." This is our hope 
for the future, and with this faith we will be 
able to sing in some not too distant tomorrow, with a cosmic

past tense, "We have overcome! (Yes) We have 
overcome! Deep in my heart, I did believe (Yes) we would overcome." [applause]

At 03:12 PM 11/17/2013, you wrote:
>Tyler,
>
>Are you saying my position in the government is comfortable because you
>think they hire anything off the street or because they bend backward to
>give you anything you need? You'd be sorely mistaken on both counts. It took
>me years to get into an agency that only hires a couple hundred for every
>few thousand who apply, and as for accommodations, I had far better luck in
>the private sector getting what I need than I've gotten in the federal
>government. You'd think government would be the most disability-friendly
>employer. That's a knee slapper.
>
>I'm not sure why you would pretend to know my work history. I have in fact
>worked, and still work with, the same major corporations and shoe string
>businesses you reference. I honestly don't see where you were headed with
>that line of thinking. I've encountered the same biases and prejudices at
>employers large and small. I've even had experiences where I show up for an
>interview after being vetted and got turned away upon discovering I was
>blind. I could have developed some sort of a record for taking some of these
>places to court, but instead I went back home and began working on the next
>batch of applications. The irony is that even now when I want to provide
>services for free as a philanthropic gesture, there are places that do not
>want the volunteer service. I keep looking, because there are ten other
>places that will gladly accept the free labor.
>
>You claim my bootstraps ideal is very, very flawed but give no compelling
>evidence proving it. You did not answer my direct question in the other post
>about what alternative advice you would provide. I am left to assume that
>you have no answer, and that's okay. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm left
>to  gather you are young, still in school and can therefore not give
>concrete evidence to what it is like to be unemployed, truly unemployed,
>something I have been and can testify to the feeling of overbearing
>frustration it conjures.
>
>If some of us alumni come back to the list, it's to try to give you a
>glimpse of what waits for you and dispense proven advice that will help you
>get around the inevitable challenges. If my way of thinking does not suit
>you, I totally respect that, but don't fight the benefit my logic could have
>on others. After all, I began this thread in direct response to references
>in the training center discussion to graduates who could not find jobs on
>account of the economy. That's one quick way to give up on looking for jobs
>and giving up on oneself. The suggestion that my style of thinking is an
>idealistic notion is laughable. Idealistic is putting faith in a government
>system that will not be able to sustain social benefits forever. Social
>Security is just one example of a benefit our generation will more than
>likely not be able to enjoy when we need it, and that's not ideology, that's
>economics.
>
>I would argue the more you teach yourself to pull yourself up by your own
>bootstraps, the less dependent you will be on the whims of Congress, an
>employer, or your family. That's real independence.
>
>And, to those who are not doing what they can to help blind people find
>jobs, point me to them so's I can smack them about a bit! It's a disservice
>not to do what we can to help each other out, but I'll say this much
>speaking for myself, I only put my own neck out for people committed to hard
>work. I've already been burned by someone I helped put into a good position.
>It severely backfired and destroyed my reputation with that employer. Never
>again.
>
>Joe
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Littlefield, Tyler [mailto:tyler at tysdomain.com]
>Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2013 12:08 PM
>To: jsoro620 at gmail.com; National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy
>
>Joe:
>Through this thread, my point hasn't been to say that blind people are not
>capable of working. In fact, if that were my stance I wouldn't be working
>through college right now, taking out loans to cover what scholarships do
>not. My point is to say that your conservative "I have a job and so should
>you--just pull yourself up by the bootstraps" ideal is very very flawed. You
>began this thread initially complaining about people who blame the economy,
>to which I agreed partially and said that while there are some people who
>do, the economy makes it a lot harder to get jobs. It increases the
>difficulty for us as blind applicants because we already have other hurtles
>in the way--assistive technology, accomadations, etc etc. Basically I'm
>saying it's not quite as easy as you make it sound, while boasting about
>yourself and skills at the same time. Most people looking for jobs (even
>sighted people) will agree here. You hold a pretty comfortable position
>within the government, which I dare say is not really the same as applying
>to a huge corporation or even a smaller business with minimal resources.
>
>On 11/15/2013 11:15 PM, Joe wrote:
> > Tyler,
> >
> > The difficulty in finding clients for your web development skills is a
> > marketing issue, not a general employment concern. I'm not belittling
> > your frustration of finding customers, but hustling for clients is
> > part of the nature of an entrepreneur, regardless of whether you set
> > up a full business or just sell yourself. Outside of Craigslist, which
> > I would never recommend because of their general decline where service
> > advertisement is concerned, I would look into Elance and Odesk. You'll
> > need to be careful with clients interested in low bids over top
> > talent, but that's going to be true no matter what website forum you
> > set up shop. You'll need to advertise across social networks, pick up
> > the phone and make cold calls, and yes, in some cases you'll need to
> > volunteer at first to prove your worth before someone hires you.
> > That's how I picked up Serotek as a client. The crazy thing is that
> > even after you secure new business, you still need to devote time to
> > marketing for more, because you never know when the safety net will drop
>out from under you.
> >
> > I see you've set up a website, but it does nothing to motivate me to
> > hire you as a developer. That's not a personal slam. It's candid
> > feedback from a prospective customer.
> >
> > Finding business is a full-time job, and I understand if balancing
> > that with school is problematic at this stage of your life. But,
> > especially in your high demand field, more skill really does mean more
> > job opportunities. Don't let the stupid media landscape of grim job
> > statistics discourage you from pushing the kind of service you say
> > you're qualified to deliver. It's not what the rest of the economy is
> > up to. It's about what Tyler can specifically help my company do better.
> >
> > Remember, blind people were finding and keeping jobs long before we
> > had today's technological conveniences. The NFB operation began with a
> > dozen blind people working with far less at our disposal, and while
> > some would argue the NFB is different because it's a social cause,
> > it's because it was a social cause that it took grit and elbow grease
> > to make it get off the ground. A nonprofit is a business like any
> > other, and if our past leaders had just crossed their arms and said,
> > "Well, crap, I guess that's that," we would have never seen the
>organization we have today.
> >
> > Before I move onto Bridgit, let me ask you something in all sincerity.
> > I've now written half a dozen posts with optimistic encouragement and
> > suggestions. You may not like my viewpoint, but I think I've done a
> > fair job of backing up my assertions. What's your alternative? All
> > I've read from you is that the economy sucks, that jobs are too hard
> > to get and that I'm basically delusional for thinking anything
> > different. Never mind that I and many others are the evidence that
> > disprove your gloom and doom way of thinking. Surely you are not
> > suggesting we are anomalies. So, tell us, what would you suggest to
> > the struggling unemployed person who is desperate for a job? Are you
> > basically saying to give up and it sucks to be you? If you offer no
> > alternative, you're basically advocating for the status quo, and
> > you've already said the status quo is no good. So, I am genuinely confused
>by your logic.
> >
> > Bridgit,
> >
> > First, let's touch on the point about the number of jobs. It would be
> > great if all the jobs we wanted were available where we live. I think
> > we have to reach a point where it makes sense to question whether the
> > area we live in is open to the kind of qualifications I can bring to
> > the market. For example, I would not live in Maine and hope to easily
> > break into screen writing, nor would it be as feasible for me to be a
> > rising star on Wall Street while living in Oklahoma. Is it possible?
> > Anything's possible, but certain regions of the country are better suited
>for my skills than others.
> > Grant writing is one service I offer as part of my side business, and
> > I live in the perfect place for it given the highest concentration of
> > nonprofits in the country. The persistent evolution of the Internet of
> > things will help bridge some of these gaps, but until our generation
> > fully takes over the job market, we will still have to fight against
> > outdated views that people need to be in a traditional office to get the
>work done.
> >
> > Second, to your point about qualifications, it makes sense to think
> > through what it is we're studying in school before investing in it.
> > Liberal arts aren't going to make people that marketable outside of
> > academic circles, and that's coming from a guy who may as well have
> > graduated with a liberal arts degree. If the qualifications are
> > severely restricting the kind of jobs I can get, something's wrong
> > with what I studied. That's why I'm a big proponent of taking a gap
> > year to figure out yourself and what it is you're really passionate
> > about before spending thousands of dollars in a very expensive education
>program.
> >
> > Next, employers are humans just like we are. Their reactions are going
> > to run a diverse range, but job hunting is a numbers game. There's
> > nothing we can do to eliminate people who take a dim view of blind
> > people, and let's be honest. Their views would not change even if the
> > economy was booming. If they did not discriminate against me for being
> > blind, they might discriminate against me for being Hispanic, male,
> > immigrant, tall, etc. The only cold comfort I can offer is keep
> > applying or move to an area with more open minds.
> >
> > Finding a job after spending years as a stay-at-home parent is not
> > easy, nor is it fair. A stay-at-home mom knows more about running a
> > company than the CEO given her responsibilities of time management,
> > budgeting, planning and executing, but you know, the more I think
> > about these qualities, the more they could make for a compelling
> > resume. You're a great writer. Something tells me you more than others
> > will find creative ways of conveying your talents. Not every employer
> > will bite, but the one that does will be an awesome match.
> >
> > And, generally speaking to the list, I guess that's all I have. There
> > is such a thing is diminishing returns for people who refuse to listen
> > to something other than the tired arguments that it's the fault of the
> > economy or my disability or the next-door neighbor. I am accused of
> > being too idealistic, but when real unemployment strikes, it's very
> > easy to begin questioning your self-worth. When I'm down in the dumps
> > and wondering if I stumbled down the wrong path in life, I would
> > personally rather here of how I might just make my passion work
> > instead of constant reminders that we have it so bad for being blind
> > and for having to compete against so many applicants.
> >
> > To each his own. Me, there's a company I've been eager to work for
> > these past few years. I believe next year I'll make a resolution to
> > get off my ass and earn at least a part-time  contract there.
> > Statistics be damned. They'd be lucky to have me working for them.
> > Arrogant? Absolutely, but it's one of many possible ways to separating
> > the great from the good. The key is figuring out the approach that makes
>you better.
> >
> > To your success,
> >
> > Joe
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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>
>
>--
>Take care,
>Ty
>http://tds-solutions.net
>He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he that
>dares not reason is a slave.
>
>
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