Photo of Martin Luther King, Jr.‘Martin Luther King, Jr. Meets Today’s Left’ by Russel Winick The Society January 17, 2022 Culture, Poetry 9 Comments . Martin Luther King, Jr. Meets Today’s Left How would the Left see Dr. King Just what reaction would they bring If he today could be our guest Reviving messages expressed? How would the Left see King today? Not positively, I must say. Support for words like his seems slim. More likely they would cancel him. . Poet’s Note: Below are excerpts from Dr. King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, The March On Washington, 1963: “But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny…” “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. I have a dream today.” . . Russel Winick recently started writing poetry at nearly age 65, after ending a long legal career. He resides in Naperville, Illinois. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 9 Responses Cheryl Corey January 17, 2022 Russel, the excerpts that you selected should be on the front page of every newspaper (although the AP would probably change “Negro” to “Black”), read by every major news outlet, and recited in Congress. But sadly, as your poem suggests, Dr. King would most likely be cancelled. He was such an eloquent thinker and speaker. It’s a shame that there aren’t more like him, of any race, today. His message of meeting “physical force with soul force” is needed more than ever. Thank you (and the Society) so much for this presentation. Reply Russel Winick January 17, 2022 You’re welcome, Cheryl, and thank you for your thoughts. Reply C.B. Anderson January 17, 2022 You are right, Russel. Dr. King would be canceled — or worse — today. He’s too much a pillar of Western Civilization. Reply Russel Winick January 17, 2022 Thank you Sir. I agree that his words are timeless. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant January 17, 2022 Spot on, Russel – as ever. Thank goodness for those who see the truth and speak the truth plainly and clearly… the added bonus being the language in which you convey the truth is rhyming, rhythmic, and rapturous. Thank you for your honesty and your poetry. Reply Russel Winick January 17, 2022 Thanks Susan. I always did like the “3 R’s”! Reply C.B. Anderson January 17, 2022 But where does the ‘rithmatic come in? Margaret Coats January 18, 2022 Simply persuasive poem, Russel. Thanks for including much more of King’s dream speech than we usually hear quoted. Reply Russel Winick January 18, 2022 You’re welcome Margaret. Thank you. I did aim to present the parts of his speech which I feel do not receive sufficient attention. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Cheryl Corey January 17, 2022 Russel, the excerpts that you selected should be on the front page of every newspaper (although the AP would probably change “Negro” to “Black”), read by every major news outlet, and recited in Congress. But sadly, as your poem suggests, Dr. King would most likely be cancelled. He was such an eloquent thinker and speaker. It’s a shame that there aren’t more like him, of any race, today. His message of meeting “physical force with soul force” is needed more than ever. Thank you (and the Society) so much for this presentation. Reply
C.B. Anderson January 17, 2022 You are right, Russel. Dr. King would be canceled — or worse — today. He’s too much a pillar of Western Civilization. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant January 17, 2022 Spot on, Russel – as ever. Thank goodness for those who see the truth and speak the truth plainly and clearly… the added bonus being the language in which you convey the truth is rhyming, rhythmic, and rapturous. Thank you for your honesty and your poetry. Reply
Margaret Coats January 18, 2022 Simply persuasive poem, Russel. Thanks for including much more of King’s dream speech than we usually hear quoted. Reply
Russel Winick January 18, 2022 You’re welcome Margaret. Thank you. I did aim to present the parts of his speech which I feel do not receive sufficient attention. Reply
