DAWNETTA MOSES 1
I think in order to understand how Dr. King makes his case is to understand how and what makes the labor movement and the negro freedom movement such a dynamic and cohesive liberal force. Then we could bring the two together and see how it could be the architects of democracy. The labor movement is equality between working class citizens, capitalism, and the rich and poor. It gives working people a chance to have a voice and make a difference.Child labor, workers exploitation, and greed from big businesses caused an uproar between people who owned the production and those who produced the goods. I also think that the story of labor is how you go from restructuring labor organizations. The golden age of labor is when collective bargaining is realized. People wanted to organize and go on strike. They even wanted better working conditions and better pay, so collective bargaining was key. Things like 40 hour weeks, weekends, paid vacation and benefits are all results of the efforts of workers who found the power to stand up for dignity and rights.The negro freedom movement is an outspoken advocacy of dignity and a refusal to submit quietly to the practices and laws of Jim Crow segregation. MLK was not your ordinary civil rights leader, he was a man who stood for justice. He would address a wide range of topics like unemployment, discrimination, voting rights, etc. MLK wanted to get rid of war, racism and poverty across the world and to not just focus on the civil rights itself. In part 1 of All labor has dignity, MLK believe that organized labor could over power the judgement of segregation and discrimation. The black freedom movement at the time was fighting for desegregation and equal rights everyday.In chapter 4, MLK speech "If the Negro Wins, Labor Wins," describes how there are similarites between negros and laborers. He believed that we could end discrimination within unions and society by joinging forces. If blacks could be segregated and not be discriminated in the labor unions then we, as a free equal country could be involved in making decisions about affairs, whether through voting or 2 showing action through community organizations. I think when Martin Luther King Jr. took on the responsibilities to fight for labor rights and negros he realized they shared the same roots. That empowerment comes when people should have a voice, come together as a community and to take action. It kind of goes back to the beginning of class when we spoke about a person and their ideology. MLK's ideology was to fight for justice, equal rights, labor etc., and his plan of action was his organizations, marches, writings and speeches. To prove his case MLK organized protests and delivered speeches. Protest for the black freedom movement and the labor movement which was what the book was based on. MLK did his fare share of bringing a huge equality to America and to even ensure equal rights to all people regarding their ethniticity. With the black freedom movement he brought publicity to the efforts and activities of the civil rights. As America went through the racial divides, unemployement and even a bad economy king speeches gave hope to people for a new tomorrow. In chapter 10 when MLK was in Selma, he was persistant in fighting for voting rights for African Americans in the south, where Jim Crow Laws still existed. They stayed in Selma until they finally got a voting rights bill. The labor movement also played a big part in the march from Selma to Montgomery. One thing MLK also proved that coming together could be the architects of democracy, was that it could be achieved through non-violence. MLK address non-violence throughout the book that was written by Michael K. Honey. Based on the book, because of his non-violent protest he set the bar for alot of movements. There were alot of laws passed against racial discrimination and protest and marches were even more