Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - President Barack Hussein Obama

Presidential Proclamation -- 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON

FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

On August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands converged on the National Mall to take part in what the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called "the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation." Demonstrators filled the landscape -- from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, alongside the still waters of the reflecting pool, to the proud base of the Washington Monument. They were men and women; young and old; black, white, Latino, Asian, and Native American -- woven together like a great American tapestry, sharing in the dream that our Nation would one day make real the promise of liberty, equality, and justice for all.

The March on Washington capped off a summer of discontent, a time when the clarion call for civil rights was met with imprisonment, bomb threats, and base brutality. Many of the marchers had endured the smack of a billy club or the blast of a fire hose. Yet they chose to respond with nonviolent resistance, with a fierce dignity that stirred our Nation's conscience and paved the way for two major victories of the Civil Rights Movement -- the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Today, we remember that the March on Washington was a demonstration for jobs as well as freedom. The coalition that brought about civil rights understood that racial equality and fairness for workers are bound together; when one American gets a raw deal, it jeopardizes justice for everyone. These are lessons we carry forward -- that we cannot march alone, that America flourishes best when we acknowledge our common humanity, that our future is linked to the destiny of every soul on earth.

It is not enough to reflect with pride on the victories of the Civil Rights Movement. In honor of every man, woman, and child who left footprints on the National Mall, we must make progress in our time. Let us guard against prejudice -- whether at the polls or in the workplace, whether on our streets or in our hearts -- and let us pledge that, in the words of Dr. King, "we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 28, 2013, as the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that celebrate the March on Washington and advance the great causes of jobs and freedom.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

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DISFUNCTIONALITY

Fifty (50) years later, African Americans are just as mired in RACIAL INEQUALITIES rooted in Enduring Concentrated Poverty due to some of the same things we marched for on August 28, 1963 - discrimination, exploitation, abuse of  power, unfair laws, lack of quality of life and economic development opportunities in the marketplace, demonizing, reduced avenues of hope, Willie Lynch models of co-dependence with less-and-less  opportunities for self-advancement and self-sustainability. 

 Added to the list  of of DISFUNCTIONALITY for African Americans are law-on-top-of-laws (drugs, 1-strike,
Truth-and Sentencing, etc)  that are disproportionately served against African Americans and Latinos while Caucasians are given repeated "passes and legal representation" and  a 20 Century NEW economic engine created by Caucasians, by-design (Rolls Royce prisons - owned and operated by Caucasians), more and more harassment by police with illegal and wrongful stop-frisk.  In Milwaukee, we recently had illegal cavity searches of males and a female.This is added to brutal beatings,  shootings and killings-murders by law enforcers of African Americans that are given
wrongful "self-defense" judgments and passes - privileges for not following the law and wrongful acts.  This sends the wrong signal to ALL in the name of "not valuing the African American male, female, son, daughter and family".   It allows law enforcers to engage in behaviors that create a deep underground of DISTRUST of police-law enforcers and the Justice system.
  That speaks to distrust of laws that fail to be constitutional for
ALL.   
It says to Caucasians and non-African Americans that it is OK to treat their colleagues, neighbors, partners, fellow Americans as NO citizens or RIGHT to be treated correctly.   It promotes racists behavior of thinkers and actors of the KKK/Ku Klux Klan.  It helps guarantee denials, exploitation, discrimination, segregation, erosion of laws to provide reform.  It inject an accelerant and continuation of 
 perpetuating the bad, ugly, vitriol mind-set that condones wrongdoing of African Americans and relegating the race to servitude and no-rights. 
It creates a false-privilege that is wrong - Caucasians are automatically first.  They know it is wrong and therefore self-checking that helps create NO BLAME of their privileges per laws and wrongdoing of  their family slave owners and the present acts of Caucasians that is "slave-like" .  It is easier to just say and do nothing.  To do something, they have to live the Golden Rule and examine the discriminatory acts and actions they participate in day-in an day-out.  They have to stop the exploitation, discrimination, demonizing, pay fair wages, be respectful, taking that which is not earned, stop jumping in front of African Americans and expecting and/or forcing them to train them - to name a few.

It creates a "deadly line" of disrespect and hatred that creates floor-to-ceiling barriers and violations of rights.

To the injustices above, recently the Stand-Your-Ground law that allowed racial profiling, stalking, badgering, shooting and killing of an unarmed African American teenager in Florida by the name of Trayvon Martin.  He was killed by George Zimmerman (a man who said he was Caucasian - mother Latino and father Caucasian).  Zimmerman was found "not guilty"  and allowed to go free.

Trayvon
was a 17 year old teenager, WITHOUT a  gun, walking home from a Seven-11 store.  He had Skittles candies and tea that he had purchased.  He wore a hooded garment while walking in a neighborhood he lived and belonged.

DISFUNCTIONALITY has taken a toll and has perpetuated a climate of resource-starved neighborhoods that have un-, under-employed and un- and under-educated residential stakeholders and un- and under-financed economic development business stakeholders - even though $$MILLIONS are earmarked from the federal government annually to be properly disseminated
through elected-appointed-hired government officials (state-county-city) for reform and assistance for affordable homes, gainful employment, education attainment, technology access, safety prevention and safety intervention, business development, cultural-entertainment outlets, care of our seniors and consolidated leadership from neighborhood leadership.  The results, MORE-AND-MORE funding for law enforcers for "over-time" and "$mega" prisons - These are the two defaults elected-appointed-hired government representatives seek for African American neighborhoods with high crime associated with, drug trade.  My question is, "When will we begin to replace the illegal drug business with education, technology, gainful employment, a nice affordable place to stay, beautifying and making competitive our neighborhoods for raising the children (now and next generations) and providing 
 hopeful progression of  the time we are on this earth?"

Disfunctionality 

The out-of-control violence and gun shootings (African American-on-African American) is about money, lots of money, lots of quick money in neighborhoods without employment and opportunities for young and not so young.  For far too many, the quick and eye-popping amounts become a keen motivator given the buy-in options of upward mobility for many. 

 The drugs come from the outside of the neighborhood.   The traffic, trade and cartels no doubt have market share and turf wars that uses shootings and killings of different types.  
  Their law enforcers and legislators are primarily  the traders on the street and their lieutenants that have gain power.  They are no doubt the ones who have proven themselves in the market - just like any other business.   It is a business.  The problem is, they are operating gangster-style and outside of the law.

As we find out from time-to-time, they have long arms into our police stations as well as elected-appointed-hired government entities.  They donate to campaigns and their price points for attorneys are on the high-end and they have well-paid criminal attorneys.

The drug providers are part of a "subgroup" of the neighborhood.  The violent subgroup feeds-off and no doubt operates their illegal behavior within their family, friends and known entities
that they feel safe with.  Because this is a sophisticated industry based on its longevity and dollar amounts;  it says  and "money talks.   We can be sure we are talking about scores of drugs being placed on our street that will perpetrate not only violence but  long-term health concerns, broken homes, disjointed families, incarcerations with turn-stile and burials.
. 
Today, it is the prohibition of drugs-prostitution hierarchy, during the early prohibition of drinking alcohol and prostitution, the screnario was the same with mobs/gangs and violence in the neighborhood.  The gangs consisted of individuals of a family and many the "THE ENTIRE FAMILY".  It was a status symbol and the mob families were wealthy, had law enforcers, elected officials and attorneys on their payroll.  The pay-offs were from the neighborhood to the courts/judges.  They were revered.

The difference at that time was the neighborhood were controlled and ran by Caucasians, even though there were African Americans bootlegging and gambling.

Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Bugs Moran, Meyer Lansky, Dean O'banion, Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel, John Gotti, Mahine Gun Kelly and Frank Costello  were Italian, Irish and Russian mobsters.  They were extremely violent.  The fact that they were Caucasian, they were able to do much more and have estates.  And whereas they appeared to be family conscious and family-women protective, they were very violent and abuse to other women.

There is much to do to make DRUGS unattractive in our urban neighborhoods.  I believe having quality of life and economic development options as well as REFORM in incarceration would go a long way in turning around the next 5 years of the next 50 years.

MARY GLASS