You know, he would have made a great president.
Posted by Architraz Warden (Member # 4285) on :
I'm not sure a political party could survive such a potent and charismatic person.
But, since I don't much care for the two-party system as we currently have it, I'll agree with you. He would have indeed made a great president.
Posted by JumboWumbo (Member # 10047) on :
I'm doing research on a similar political figure; Benjamin Banneker. He was African-American of the late 1700's, and, after realising his accomplishments, I wonder why he is never attributed to pushing equality like Luther Jr. was. Anyway, they were both tremendously remarkable people.
Posted by Architraz Warden (Member # 4285) on :
All I know of Benjamin Banneker from memory is his involvement with the surveying and original layout of Washington DC. Though to earn that distinction in the 1700's, it isn't too much of a stretch to assume he would have spoken out against the condition of slaves.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by JumboWumbo: I'm doing research on a similar political figure; Benjamin Banneker. He was African-American of the late 1700's, and, after realising his accomplishments, I wonder why he is never attributed to pushing equality like Luther Jr. was. Anyway, they were both tremendously remarkable people.
[cynic] There's nothing quite like being assassinated to get you into the history books. [/cynic]
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Wow, I think MLK would totally have been in the history books regardless. I remember what it was like before. The civil rights activists transformed America, in many ways, profoundly for the better. And because they transformed the U.S., and because U.S. popular culture, for whatever reason, is influential in the whole world, they may in time be responsible for transforming the entire planet into one in which the nonsense of race and eugenics is a thing of the past. That would be awesome. We're all cousins. Race is a social invention with no basis in science.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I think for sure he would have been in the books without the assasination. I remember the reaction a crowd had the same day, when RFK was giving a speech and asked the crowd to be quiet, he to tell them something, and informed them of King's death. The collective gasp, from a group of white people even, is proof enough to me that he was widely loved enough to not be snuffed out of history.
I should say I remember it from the recording, I have a lot of speeches on my MP3 player.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
I guess I've been ignorant to just how cool MLKjr was/is until this year. I think I just blindly accepted without digging deeper. For example, I never realized that he started college when he was (i think) 15. That was still a big deal back in the day, right?
One of those times I'd like to have the 'alternate reality button' just to see how things may have played out if his time hadn't been cut short...
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
My comment was less in regards to MLK, who I certainly do think belongs in the history books, and more on Banneker, who I think also does.
![[Hat]](graemlins/hat.gif)