Martin Luther King, Jr. Says USA Born In Genocide, And That Disruption Is Necessary To Be Cured
Genocide is on the minds of the world every single day of Israel’s assault on Gaza, which Israeli leaders say they have no intent on stopping and only speak of expansion plans which include rewarding their IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) aka IOF (Israel Occupation Forces) with Gazan land.
During this time of Martin Luther King Jr.’s nationally recognized holiday, it is a good time to open up any of his books to look for guidance. On page 146 of “Why We Can’t Wait,” Dr. King speaks of American be born in genocide, and includes the importance of disruption. Take a read, and if you don’t own this book yet, buy it locally from Binnacle Books.
"Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shores, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society. From the sixteenth century forward, blood flowed into battles over racial supremacy. We are perhaps the only nation which tried as a matter of national policy to wipe out its indigenous population. Moreover, we elevated that tragic experience into a noble crusade. Indeed, even today we have not permitted ourselves to reject or to feel remorse for this shameful episode. Our literature, our films, our drama, our folklore all exalt it.
"Our children are still taught to respect the violence which reduced a red-skinned people of an earlier culture into a few fragmented groups herded into impoverished reservations. This is a sharp contrast to many nations south of the border, which assimilated their Indians, respected their culture, and elevated many of them to high position.
"It was upon this massive base of racism that the prejudice toward the nonwhite was readily built, and found rapid growth. This long-standing racist ideology has corrupted and diminished our democratic ideals. It is this tangled web of prejudice from which many Americans now seek to liberate themselves, without realizing how deeply it has been woven into their consciousness.
"The roots are deep, and this condition in turn influences the character of the Negro Revolution. Our history teaches us that wielding the sword against racial superiority is not effective. The bravery of the Indian, employing spears and arrows against the Winchester and the Colt, had ultimately to eventuate in defeat. On the other hand, history also teaches that submission produces no acceptable result. Nonresistance merely reinforces the myth that one race is inherently inferior to another. Negroes today are neither exercising violence nor accepting domination. They are disturbing the tranquility of the nation until the existence of injustice is recognized as a virulent disease menacing the whole society, and is cured."
Curing one self from racism must be done every single day. With actions and mindset changes.