"Remembering the Legacy of A. Phillip Randolph on Labor Day"

the grio.com

 

“We are the advance guard of a massive moral revolution for jobs and freedom. This revolution reverberates throughout the land, touching every village where black men are segregated, oppressed and exploited,” the 74-year-old A. Philip Randolph told the estimated 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom fifty years ago on August 28, 1963.

The idea for the March on Washington began in December 1940

A. Philip Randolph led the planning for a March on Washington that was slated to take place on July 1, 1941. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order banning military contractors from discriminating on the basis of “race, creed, color, or national origin,” Randolph called off the march — but the power of a black march on Washington was now a reality.

Labor Day Must Read(s)

Why I oppose military intervention in Syria

This is not about humanitarianism. It is about geopolitics and the control of natural resources. If Syria was not located in an oil rich region, there would be no calls for military action. Thousands of innocent civilians are dying in the Central Republic of Congo, Nigeria and many other countries around the world. Yet, the US does nothing. Clearly, this is not about protecting civilians.

Tavis Smiley:  Obama "Dishonoring" MKL's Memory with push for war in Syria

 “There’s the issue of violence. War, Dr. King would say were he here, is not the answer. We cannot worship at the altar of retaliation,” Smiley said. “It’s either non-violent co-existence or violent co-annihilation, Dr. King would say were he here.”

9 Cases That Prove We don't live in a Post Racial America

At the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, speakers continually reminded us of how far we’ve come since the original march, but judging from just a few stories in the last 30 days, we haven’t come nearly as far as some seem to think.

GOP: it's all about slavery.  Update: Obama's Speech Today (Blast from the past)

This is Labor Day. Alan Grayson is up with a great offering, What Robert Kennedy Said.
But here's the bottom line: What the Republicans are fighting against, the reason they are pursuing a scorched earth policy that would rather see every last bit of progress in this country come to a grinding halt than give one inch to a government that might regulate them, is to ensure that what they have built over the past 30 years is never taken away.

Wishing all my readers, lurkers and commentators a safe and happy Labor Day.