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    michael harrington

    Martin Luther King Was a Radical, Not a Saint

    Martin Luther King Was a Radical, Not a Saint

    “For years I labored with the idea of reforming the existing institutions of society, a little change here, a little change there. Now I feel quite differently. I think you’ve got to have a reconstruction of the entire society, a revolution of values.”

    Peter Dreier
    Jan 20, 2019

    It is easy to forget that in his day, in his own country, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was considered a dangerous radical. He was harassed by the FBI and vilified in the media. The establishment's campaign to denigrate King worked. In August 1966 - two years after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35--the Gallup Poll found that 63 percent of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of King, compared with 33 percent who viewed him favorably.

    Today Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is viewed as something of an American saint. The most recent Gallup Poll discovered that 94 percent of Americans viewed him in a positive light. His birthday is a national holiday. His name adorns schools and street signs. Americans from across the political spectrum invoke King's name to justify their beliefs and actions.

    Keep ReadingShow Less
    Opinion
    Has Democratic Socialism a Future in American Politics?

    Has Democratic Socialism a Future in American Politics?

    The rise in American life of a rapacious corporate capitalism, a widening level of economic inequality, and the sharply rightwing policies of many states and the federal government are clearly inspiring a revolt on the Left

    Lawrence Wittner
    Jul 08, 2018

    Recently, when 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an obscure, upfront democratic socialist from the Bronx, easily defeated one of the most powerful U.S. Congressmen in the Democratic primary, the story became an overnight sensation. How, the pundits wondered, could this upset have occurred?

    Actually, it shouldn't have been a total surprise for, in recent years, democratic socialism has been making a remarkable comeback in American life. Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist U.S. Senator from Vermont, won 23 Democratic primaries and caucuses during his tumultuous 2016 election campaign. Indeed, he nearly defeated Hillary Clinton, all but coronated by the Democratic Party establishment, for the Democratic presidential nomination. In addition, numerous candidates backed by a Sanders campaign's successor, Our Revolution, won Democratic Party primaries and election to office in 2017 and 2018.

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    Opinion
    The Albert Einstein Memorial in Washington, D.C.

    Where Are All the Monuments to the Progressive Americans?

    The organizers, activists, artists, writers, and occasional elected officials who fought to make the United States a more humane and inclusive country often go unacknowledged.

    Peter Dreier
    Sep 16, 2017

    The current controversy over whether to dismantle statues of some prominent Confederate figures is a battle over whom we admire and consider as heroes. It is also a battle over who has power to shape how we view our history.

    "Many of those people were there to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee," President Donald Trump said last month after the struggle in the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia. "So this week, it is Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after?"

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    Opinion
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