Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

    Also see 6.362 and 6.363
    
    Peace,
    Richard

	"This is no time to be a good Negro anything.  You simply have
to be a good teacher, not a good Negro teacher -- a good preacher, not
a good Negro preacher.  Doors will be opening to you now that were closed
in the past.  You have got to resolve, therefore, to do your job so well
it cannot be excelled."

				- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
				  Commencement Address
				  Kentucky State College, June 2, 1957

	"It is wrong to be unjust, to be dishonest, to hate.  It is
wrong now and was wrong 2,000 years ago...We have moved from the
Darwinian theory of survival of the fittest to a theory of survival
of the slickest.  Everybody is busy obeying the 11th commandment --
'Do not get caught.'"
				- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
				  Norfolk Journal and Guide
				  March 9, 1957

	"The Negro must always guard against the danger of becoming
ashamed of himself and his past.

	There is much in the heritage of the Negro that each of us
can be proud of.

	The oppression we have faced, partly beacause of the color
of our skin, must not cause us to fell that everything non-White is
objectionable.

	The content of one's character is the important thing, not the
color of the skin.

	We must teach every Negro child that rejection of heritage means
loss of cultural roots, and [that] people who have no past have no
future."
    
				- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
				  Ebony
				  January 1958

	"We've come a long way, but we've still got a long, long
way to go.  If you can run, walk.  If you can't walk, crawl.  But
by all means, keep moving!"

				- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
				  Ebony
				  July 1956

    Interesting. I wonder what would happen if you posted those
    as is but put a white man's name and today's date on them.
    How long would it take before they were decryed as racist for
    using the word Negro rather than Afro-American or black? How
    sensitive we've become to words. I think Dr. King would be upset
    at that.
    
    Also I wonder how some of these quotes would be taken if the word
    Negro were replaced with the word white. I believe these are universal
    truths but I suspect that with a nonPC color or name attached they
    would be as widely attacked by the left as  the were  from the right.
    
    			Alfred

  Digital President and CEO Bob Palmer told a Martin Luther King Day gathering
  at the Mill in Maynard, Mass. that "I am committed to diversity," and 
  pledged to keep valuing diversity at the core of Digital's values.

  Bob was keynote speaker at the event, which was sponsored by the People of 
  Color Board of Directors.  

  He spoke frankly of his belief in the power of a diverse workforce and of 
  his expectations for Digital's managers.  

  The business argument for valuing diversity is a strong one, Bob said.  
  Digital's success depends on customer satisfaction, which in turn depends on
  achieving "excellence in everything we do."  The source of that excellence 
  is the creativity and innovation that comes from Digital's work force -- 
  "attributes that know no geographical boundaries.  Nor are they based on 
  race, age, physical disability, gender, national origin, ethnicity, religion
  or sexual orientation."

  Noting that Digital's customers are increasingly diverse, Bob said, "Our 
  ability to delight the customer is significantly enhanced by a workforce 
  that reflects the diversity of those customers. ... Diversity is, in short, 
  an increasingly critical fact of life."

  Bob said that Digital will focus its efforts "on building sustainable 
  systems that encourage, develop and reward excellence, talent and commitment
  in all of our people.  Those systems will ensure that people of difference 
  with talent and commitment are fully represented in all of our core 
  businesses.  


  "We will also work to create and sustain a work environment that not only 
  brings people of difference into the company but encourages and supports 
  them in bringing their individual and cultural differences to the table as 
  well."  

  Bob said he would require managers to spend time thinking about and 
  understanding what diversity means; to establish measurable goals, 
  objectives and plans to ensure diversity; to establish a high-quality 
  development process to help achieve those objectives; to develop adequate 
  systems to measure progress; to establish ongoing dialogue with people of 
  diverse backgrounds within their organizations; to consider the impact of 
  business decisions for people of diversity; and to work and communicate the 
  results worldwide.

  He also encouraged employees to help build an environment that "enables all 
  of us to understand and value differences."  And he applauded the important 
  work done by the People of Color Board of Directors and other groups.

  "I am committed to diversity because I believe that people of difference 
  provide a rich resource for knowledge and excellence.  We need that 
  knowledge and excellence to survive and prosper in the long run.  Digital's 
  future is tied to our ability to understand, respect, value and manage 
  these differences in a way that makes them engines for ideas, innovation 
  and creativity."

  Bob stressed that recent business decisions "do not represent a retreat from
  our commitments to diversity.  A change in strategy is not abandonment of 
  our values and beliefs."  At the same time, he cautioned, "The only 
  sustainable way to support diversity is within the context of our rapidly 
  changing business models.  Working within that context, we will identify and
  implement strategies to support diversity."

    RE: .7
    
    Sounds like he is saying that it makes good buisness sense.
    
    Marc H.

    .8,  True.  That's how to appeal to people who are motivated by $$$,
    which, of course, business is.
    
    Richard
    

Note 14.387

>    No offense Richard, but as usual you started this by posting a verse
>    from Genesis that coming from you could only have some sort of symbolic
>    meaning.  MLK said that he had a dream and you quoted above that we
>    will see what becomes of his dreams.  I assume you took what was
>    written about Joseph and applied it to MLK.

This much is true.

>    Therefore, I was
>    commenting on what became of MLKs dream.  What came of it is simply
>    this.  MLK's heirs can't even stand in his shadow, and they have
>    espoused the very opposite concepts MLK had about peaceful dissent.  I
>    believe my comments regarding the three I mentioned are NOT backbiting,
>    they are truth.  They squandered what MLK stood for.  I believe it
>    would be intellectually disingenuous to believe otherwise.

I do not consider blacks to be the sole and exclusive heirs of King's legacy.
I've never considered the civil rights movement to be a black thing.  There
were always whites in the movement.  The were always blacks who were opposed
to the movement.

You'll recall that a contemporary of King's was Malcolm X.

Richard

re Note 173.10 by CSC32::J_CHRISTIE:

> I do not consider blacks to be the sole and exclusive heirs of King's legacy.
> I've never considered the civil rights movement to be a black thing.  There
> were always whites in the movement.  The were always blacks who were opposed
> to the movement.

        Richard,

        I'll second this, and add that MLK was as much a leader of
        the white majority as he was of the black community.  This is
        of necessity:  racism was tolerated and even fostered by the
        government of the majority, and could only be addressed with
        the cooperation of the majority.

        Although the white majority should take no credit for doing
        what they should have done long ago, it is certainly true
        that whites have to take the final actions that end racism
        against blacks.

        Bob

>        Although the white majority should take no credit for doing
>        what they should have done long ago, it is certainly true

    I'm afraid I have to disagree here, Bob.  (A large number of) whites
    decided to give up their privilaged status in the interests of being
    fair.  Although we might have done better, we could have done much
    worse.  MLK made a compelling argument for civil rights and, I think
    much to our credit, we responded to it positively.

>        that whites have to take the final actions that end racism
>        against blacks.

    And much to our credit many of us have.  Yes, blacks have done most
    of the work and have helped us remove the log from our own eyes - 
    and for that we owe them much, but for removing a system that was
    in place before we were born, today's whites are not completely
    without merit.

    Tom