 Dr. Martin Luther King SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2022 Posted by Patrick Murfin – Dr. King Still Speaks to Us if We Will Listen When the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was being held in jail in Alabama in 1963 he received a letter signed by several well-known White self-proclaimed racial moderates and liberal ministers who decried the unpleasantness and social disruption of the on-going campaign against racial discrimination in Birmingham. Since he had unaccustomed time on his hands he took the time to patiently, even lovingly explain the situation in America’s most segregated city and why he and the Black citizens of the city were compelled to launch their campaign of non-violent direct action braving beatings, dogs, firehoses, threats, bombings, and jail to do so. Continue reading |
Baroness Valerie Amos
The Baroness Valerie Amos, born on the island of Wakenaam, is to be appointed as a member of the Order of the Garter, England’s oldest and most senior order of chivalry, becoming the first Black person in 700 years to receive the honour.
The appointment is given to up to 24 “knight and lady companions”. The ceremonial order, founded in 1348, is a recognition of significant public service, made as the personal gift of the monarch.
Baroness Amos, a former Labour cabinet minister, becomes the first black member of the order, the BBC reported. The list of others to be appointed include the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and wife of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne. Continue reading
BOOK: ‘White Debt: The Demerara Uprising and Britain’s Legacy of Slavery’
White Debt: Time for Britain to pay up for its legacy of slavery
Thomas Harding is author of ‘White Debt: The Demerara Uprising and Britain’s Legacy of Slavery’ published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson . You can order the book from One Tree Books in the UK, email sally@onetreebooks.com . You can follow Thomas on Twitter @thomasharding
It was a warm dry day in October when I visited Bachelors Adventure on the East Coast of Demerara. With me, just a few steps from the public road, was the poet and social worker Ras Blackman, who grew up in the village and was kindly giving me a tour.
On 20 August 1823, more than 4,000 enslaved women and men had gathered here, Ras told me, in what had been a cotton field. On the other side of the public road were assembled 200 members of the British militia, each carrying a rifle. I was suddenly overtaken by a sense of awe. Awe at the courage of the enslaved people. Awe at their remarkable organisational skills. Awe at the profound legacy of freedom they had left behind, including for me, a White person. Continue reading →
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