What Would Dr. King Think? – 5
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
At the beginning he said, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
“But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land.”
He also said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
If we were fortunate to have Dr. King here, what would he think of America today?
I suspect he would notice that people are still judged based on “color of skin.” All statistical studies, I’m aware of, are based on skin color. I know of no study based on “character.” The phrase attributed to Mark Twain states, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics," which suggests caution in how statical studies are constructed and evaluated.
Today suggestions are made that progress has not been made during the 62 years since Dr. King made his famous speech. But most studies overlook social advancements that have been made. For example, Forbes magazine tracks black American billionaires and millionaires. In 1963 there were almost none, but today there are more than a few. And most studies overlook the social digressions that have been made among some black Americans since then. Consider Wayne Slappy’s experiences when he was young in the “Bricks” project in northern New Jersey mentioned in my first message, “Helping the Bell Toll Less in Our Social World - 1”
Unfortunately, results of “color of skin” studies are wrongfully evaluated to promote “Klan thinking.” “You can’t tell them apart. They all look alike.” To many Americans, predisposed to having negative thoughts about blacks, wrongfully use color of skin statical “studies” to discriminate against all blacks, harming the wellbeing of the large percentage that are of good character.
How might research studies based on character be helpful in achieving Dr. King and Mark’s goal of improving American society? Because I’m not aware of such studies, observations I make are based on commonly known information, personal observations, and speculation.
That given, I suggest research based on character can investigate the social factors that result in many blacks being of good character and a few being of bad character. For example, thirty years ago when I lived 15-minutes from Nickerson Gardens, well-maintained homes were found only a few blocks off the main streets like South Figueroa where gang members of bad character fought for turf for selling drugs. There were two murders outside my apartment during one year. Unfortunately, in the same areas where gang members fight for turf, large numbers of people of good character live behind bars in their homes. Use of Google Street View indicates those conditions remain today. How were the developmental social factors of those that developed good character differ from those that developed bad character?
It seems to me to achieve Dr. King’s dream and Mark’s objective, different thinking and practices are needed to discontinue social “improvement” activities that have not resulted in positive results for some for 62 years. July 1, 2025