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Martin Luther King, rest in peace my brother.

Today, we celebrate Martin Luther King day. Where do I begin to write a post about this? First, I need to let you know that I grew up in the deep south as a son of a Lutheran Pastor. My formative years were the early sixties and during this time I lived all over Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina. Racism was alive and well in the little towns I grew up in. I can remember marching with MLK in Foley Alabama and the "good ole boys" throwing things at us and calling us names. The fact that we were white made their hatred towards us even worse. We were traitors and N....... lovers. I think I was 8 or 9 years old at the time. I couldn't understand what we were doing "wrong". It was just a parade.

I remember living in Saluda S.C. and going to the movie house on the weekends. It always struck me as strange that the "blackies" had to sit in the balcony. They wouldn't even let "them" in the theater until all us white folks were already in and seated. I can remember looking up and waving at my friend J.B. J.B. lived not to far from me and we use to play football and stuff together. J.B. wasn't his name but it was what we called him. It stood for Jet Black. He didn't seem to mind and I thought he liked it. I now know, he probably didn't. I know it used to bother him when we would stop at the store after playing ball and they wouldn't let him in. I would have to go get his Mountain Dew and peanuts for him. But we were just kids. We didn't care, we just wanted to play and have fun. J.B. and his sister, Rosa Lee, were the only blacks in my school. Rosa was a big girl. Very quiet and very smart. She always sat in the back of the class by herself and I would make an effort to be nice to her. I liked her. I think she was afraid to talk to me though because she would never say anything. Just minded her own business. I've never forgotten about Rosa Lee and wonder what became of her and J.B.

Our schools were integrated before my sixth year started. I remember it being a really big deal for the adults. The kids didn't really seem to care. We all played football together and had a lot of fun. Of course we had to get on separate buses on the way home. Maybe it was just because we lived on the opposite sides of the tracks. I'm not sure.

I also remember coming out of Church, one Sunday morning, when I was about 11 or 12, and there were Church members passing out flyers. They were really dedicated and made sure everyone got one. They were flyers for the KKK rally that was taking place out in the fields that night. I guess we had quite a few clansman in our Church. Even at 12 years old this disturbed me quite a bit. My friends and I snuck out that night and headed out to this rally. When you are 12, curiosity over comes you, and some things you just have to do. I remember the five of us crawling through the woods following the lights until we came to the edge of a field. It was very scary. The field was full of people in white robes and hoods and they were singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" and other songs we sang on Sunday and they had 3 crosses a blaze. The lights we followed were these crosses being burned. We laid there listening and watching for about 10 minutes or so and then we glanced up at each other, stood up and ran. We ran and ran and ran. We never talked about that night again. I've always wondered if crosses were the only thing being burned that night. I doubt it.

When I turned 16 I quit going to Church. I stayed away from the Church for 30 years. Now as I go to the Methodists Church on Sunday, where we have five black members out of about 300, I realize, it's not the Church, it's the people that are evil. In the town where we now live, Dundee, Fl population 4,000, we still have a "blackie" town. Racism, is very much alive and well, in our town and through out the world. Will it ever change? I don't know. But I can pray that it does. I can respect people, for who they are, not what color they are. I can correct people when they start making racist remarks. I can choose not to associate with racists. Racism makes my stomach churn.

So what does any of this have to do with Real Estate? Everything my friends. Everything. Because of MLW we now have the "Civil Rights Act of 1964" and the "Voting Rights Act of 1965". Because of MLK, the healing has begun. We have a very long way to go but the journey has started.

MLK was a man of peace. He was non-violent and proved that it doesn't take force to win a battle. MLK was a hero. His speech "I have a dream" is a masterpiece and regarded as one of the finest speeches in American oratory.

So there you have it folks, my meager attempt at honoring a great man, through my experiences, seen through the eyes of a child. Take a few minutes tomorrow and say a prayer for our Country and my heroes Martin Luther King, J.B. and Rosa Lee.

Martin Luther King, rest in peace my brother.

***The picture is from a school contest and is: First Prize co-winner, Rachel Waychunas, grade 5, Sayen Elementary School, Hamilton Ma.

Posted by Bryant Tutas Broker/REALTOR(R) Tutas Towne Realty, Inc on 01/15/2007 10:42 AM

Comments (68)

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68 Comments on Martin Luther King, rest in peace my brother.

JAN

2007

Hubba! Bubba! Wink. Wink.

Darlin' (Broker Bryant) you did a great job with this. It's very unique. You are the King of originality.

If M.L.K. was alive he would come to this post and say:

"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence."

He would be proud of this post and even prouder to be able to call you his friend.

I remember the very first time you told me this story. It melted my heart. Having led a sheltered childhood I was never exposed to racism until I moved to Florida. Racism makes me shake my head back and forth. I don't get it and I never will. I stopped trying to understand why people are racist. I don't even ask them why anymore. Now I just tell them to stop talking because all I hear is Blah...Blah...Blah :)

Folks please join us in our prayers for Martin Luther King and what remains of family. M.L.K was a great man with the courage to stand behind his convictions. In my book he was a hero.

BB do you think I should write some God notes about racism? You have me thinking about this.

Thank you, Bryant. I was going to work on somethig in the morning and feel that your post has the voice I was hoping to find. I remember the day MLK was shot; I was (7) years old at the time and standing in my grandmothers family room when the news was flashed on a television. Of course, I was too you for the event to have had meaning at the time. In retrospect, its mind-bogling that he was able to accomplish so much during such a short lifetime. MLK's life has made all of ours much better than it would have been otherwise.

Very nice Broker Bryant it must have been pretty scary in those woods that evening. It must have been pretty cool marching with MLK back then. In the northeast I never did get to see him. I too think his "I have a dream" speach ranks high up there with the likes of Abraham Lincoln and JFK.

I can remeber being in Dothan, Alabama in the mid 70 's and walking downtown and seeing an old sign on a restaraunt white entrance only. At that time it affirmed my belief that the south was still backward thinking.

How people can be so hateful is beyond me.

Great post...

Very nice tribute BB. I remember the day he got shot vividly!

Being in the North I never understood what the big deal was, about the color of someones skin. ...so what if we look different? Great story BB and very touching. I felt like I was with you in the woods!

Bryant.... as stated by a few others, since I am on time to this party, this was a very well-done tribute to Martin Luther King. So much was learned from him and are still talked about in history today. Hopefully it never gets lost in the text books. Again.....good job.

Nice tribute, Bryant. His work is not finished, yet.

My favorite quote:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Bryant: The Codgers have come to appreciate you as colleague of the Rain, and appreciate your fine humor—now we see the full measure of the man who is Bryant Tutas. I guarantee one member of the codgers, the one from Shelby County, Alabama, will fight back a tear or two when he reads your post (Carl ALWAYS reads your posts) come tomorrow. We’ll know when the big guy turns away from us for a moment—so we won’t notice (we always notice, but pretend not to). I can tell you what he’ll say, too. “There’s a real man!” Amen!

Rev. Dr. King was a true American hero to me, as well.

Oh, but it wasn't "just a parade," my friend. It was a righteous stand against hatred and prejudice which threatened to reveal the wickedness of many, and that it did.

You are a lucky man to have had parents who knew the difference between right and wrong. It's unfortunate but generations are still being taught to hate those who are different from them and it's going on all over the world. When people fill their children's head with garbage, it's really hard to get this problem beat.

Good for you for speaking out on this issue, in spite of the fact that you live in a community which still has rascist attitudes. It's one thing to "love thy neighbor," and it's another thing entirely to have the balls to say it out loud and be proud of it. I don't believe I've ever told a racist joke, but I recall a time when I had trouble not playing along when someone would tell one. I remember feeling very ashamed for not speaking up. Now that I've grown up and reached a point where I don't much care what people think of me, I find it much easier to say, "I don't really find this type of humor very funny at all." It's been quite a while since I heard one of those jokes.

Wow... I am at a loss for words, Bryant. I think you made me cry. No... your story did. I have never really experienced racism, that I can recall. I went to elementary school in NYC, where I was in the minority (me= Irish, English, Scottish, Welch, Polish, German, American Indian ... American Mutt...) -but so was everyone else in my school. THere were no more or no less of any one nationality at any given time. I have always lived in "multi-racial" neighborhoods and have absolutely NO understanding for the thought of racism ... even after the 9/11 attacks. Those were bad people - not a bad "race" and I hope and pray that the racism that obviously still permeates in our country will die ... a horrible, horrible death. And I hope that it does so in my lifetime.

Bryant I would hug you if you were here. I thought about doing one but it could never have been as good as yours, especially because of your childhood experiences. Racism is a scourge and I so hope that as we keep meeting each other and interacting with each other we can finally see that we are all the same. I shed tears as I read this too because of the situation that exists and because I am proud to call you a friend with a good heart.

Bryant, well done. I put up the speech, in full audio on our site last year. I love hearing it in his own voice, with his passion. Here is the link for anyone who wants to enjoy it again! I know it's buried in your wikipedia link, but this might make is simpler for some... I Have A Dream MP3

Wonderful post, Bryant. I'm sure many reading this will enjoy understanding more about your personal side. The prejudice we see everywhere is so hard to understand, and while much progress has been made one wonders how far we really have gone. And it has become more subtle in many ways (education, government, real estate...). Thank you for this terrific tribute to a rare human being.

Thanks, Jeff T., for the link. I never get tired of hearing these powerful words.

Thanks for sharing your story, it really personalizes what the day means when people share their stories. The picture is very well done, great job for any artist, and especialy for a fifth grader!

Hi everyone,

Jeff T, thanks for the link to the audio. I think I will listen to that while I have my coffee in the morning. Reading it is is definitely not the same as hearing it from the mouth of MLK. He was a master at public speaking. He felt it.

Carole, Thanks. racism is very ugly. I watched "Hotel Rwanda" last night for the first time, it really put things into perspective. Our every day problems in this country are so petty compared to what some people have to endure on a daily basis. That movie was an extreme example of hatred and they were the same color! It was horrible to watch, yet I couldn't pull myself away from it.

Mariana, not having lived in the south, it would be very difficult for you to really comprehend how big an issue racism was and still is. The KKK is alive and well also.

Norm, When I was growing up. it seemed like ALL the children got along. It was the adults that had the problems. Of course as the children got older, they too, took on the attitudes of their parents and on and on and on it goes. Up until about the age of puberty, we were just kids that wanted to play, our parents(not mine) taught us how to hate.

Jay, give Carl a big ole hug for me in the morning. I'm sure with him having lived in Alabama he knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Brian, his work has only just begun. I too love that quote.

Jeff, unfortunately there are a lot of young people today who don't have a clue who Martin Luther King was. It's just another day off from school. The story I read in the paper today on MLK was one page 3 I believe. The Gators winning the championship was much more important.

Jay and Monica, You know I was so young back then I didn't really understand it all. I just couldn't figure out why my friend J.B. was hated so much. Hey we loved him. That kid could run!!!!

Ed, in my area people still refuse to honor MLK. It will be business as usual tomorrow. And mostly due to spite. MLK was one of the most important and influential people of the 20th century. Imagine what more he could have achieved if he was not murdered?

TLW, so here I go giving folks a peek at the inter me again. I am getting better at in my old age.

Bubba aka Broker Bryant...Yes, you are getting better at it. Wink. Wink.

Hubba aka Jeff Turner...Thanks for the video. That is a nice touch on this post.

Ahhh. Checking out (good way of putting that) with the PASSION. Oh. My.

TLW...ROAR!

This is a wonderful post Bryant.

I am too young to have experienced Dr. King's influence. But I took "African American Rhetoric" at Mt. Union College as a minor-filler and little did I know that the subject would change my life -- and is probably the most important course I took in eight years of higher education.

Dr. King was one of the most amazing men in American history ... and one of the great things is that the majority of the "I have a Dream" speach was completely off-the-cuff. His speech was over, but something kicked him into gear and he just continued.

Bryant,

Thank you for taking the time to write about this subject and for your honesty in what you experienced. I thought about writing about the King holiday myself. This was very touching and I thank God, my child won't have to experience some of the things you experienced. It's hard enough explaining to a five year old why the dogs and water hoses where put on black people. It's important we never forget about MLK's Dream! Thanks again!

Hey Toby, I didn't know that about his speech. Wow! It makes it even more amazing. I'm sure that something was God inspired. Powerful words.

Ava, The scene you have descibed with the dogs and water hoses was the turning point for MLK's crusade. Having that broadcast across America, finally woke us up to what was really happening. Thanks for reading Ava.

BB - Generations of my family are from a small town not too far from where you are, although it's much bigger now than it was back then. Every summer we would drive down to my grandparents' house in that small town for our summer vacation. One day/night, when I was pretty young, no idea how young, but young enough so that my parents had no idea I would have remembered what I saw. We heard a bit of a ruckus outside in the street, coming up the street. My mom, and probably all of us there then, went out on the front porch to see what was going on. My mom immediately tried to get us back inside and away from the windows. It turned out to be the KKK marching up the street. I don't really remember much more than seeing them march up the street - don't remember if they were carrying crosses or what, but I do remember that it was a very eery feeling that I carried with me all these years.

We lived all over the country since my dad was in the Air Force, and we were fairly sheltered in most places we lived, but we certainly were exposed to more racism attitudes when we lived in the south than when we lived in northern areas. And that's not to say it didn't, or doesn't, exist in northern areas, but in my experience of growing up around the country on difference Air Force bases, we experienced it more in the south.

Great post, Bryant.
Ann

Bryant, I am glad that I did not experience Racism to that extreme when I was growing up, in fact the neighborhood that I grew up in had a very large number of African Americans. I remember many of MLK's speeches, and I remember thinking back then what the big fuss was about. As I got older I learned what the big fuss was about, but I don't think I ever did understand it until I was an adult. I can't imagine what it was like growing up in that environment.

Bryant,

My father was in the Air Force and we lived all over. I was born in July of 1951. In January of 1952 we went to Japan. In September of 1956 I was sent home from kindergaten with a note to my parents telling them I needed counseling because I was not able to communicate and was "babbling". I had been in the US for a total of nine months of my 5 years. I barely spoke English because I talked mostly to the Japanesmaid and her children who were my playmates. When I talked about snow and my fur coat (white rabbit, I still have the pictures) they really thought I was nuts. A little black kid, in Sacramento, CA talking about snow?? Speaking a language no one recognized?? I got to take my passport for Show and Tell.....

I have encountered many more incidents of racism in the North than the south, but I have spent much more time there as well. I think one of the issues is that things are more subtle in the North. My husband, who is Caucasian was once told that I was not in a restaraunt where he had dropped me off and gone to pick up my stepson at the theatre a few blocks away while I got a table. The hostess asked him if he wanted a table for two and he said that he was meeting his wife who should already be seated since she wasn't in the foyer waiting for a table and he had dropped her off about five minutes ago. She insisted that,no, his wife had not come in. After several exchanges in which he explained that he had watched me come in the door, he asked if he could look in the dinning room. I was clearly visible two steps into the room but the hostess could not envision the blonde teenager his blue eyed father as the husband and son I had said I was waiting for. And this was in Colorado!

In San Francisco, of all places,in 1980, I was once inquiring about taking some classes at a private professional school. Because I do not "sound black" the person on the other end of the phone informed me that the school was located in a very safe area so that students could feel comfortable taking evening courses. "It is right on the streetcar line and there are no N-----s or C---ks in the neighborhood. Fortunately, I was so shocked I was speechless and hung up. in those days I would have said an awful lot of very ugly things.

Unfortunately these people are still around in great numbers. Some of them more innocent and unaware of their own "institutionalized" racism like the hostess in the resteraunt and some like the person at the school.

MLK was a great man. Many heard and heeded his message. Few can speak as eloquently as you have done about it. It takes all of us to keep on doing his work not just for racial prejudice but religious and nationality stereotyping as well. It is the saqme thing in a differen package and the way we present ourselves, our services and how we do business can contribute to changing it for the better. One day, all of our children will be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin.

It is an amazing speech, and if you look for an original transcript the "I have a Dream" portion isn't included.

Letters from a Birghmingham Jail is a great collection of his letters to those around him. I am going to have to set aside the Bible and my daily reading on Monday and pull that book out for a refresher course.

JAN

2007

Bryant,

Very thought-provoking, and a great story. I have a question about this day honoring MLK being set aside as a holiday. I am saddened at the thought of how many folks simply look at it as a day off, from work or school, and don't reflect as you have done, obviously more than once!

I believe Dr. King is owed the tribute by celebrating his birthday. However, I do feel schools should celebrate, not by a day off, but by dedicating the entire day to the study of the man, his actions, speeches, and the affect he had and continues to have on the nation. How else will kids keep the "dream" alive once they get older?

Bryant, you have truly BLESSED ME by this post, and i'm grateful to have read your words. Thank you. Dr. King was and is a KING. He was anointed by GOD and set up upon the earth for the time he was assigned to carry out a mission for the world, and he succeeded.

It does my my heart so good to hear clear purity coming from the depths of your soul as you described this great Man of GOD. This just confirms what i discerned about you when i wrote my first blog that you responded and encouraged me on. The REAL person is the hidden man of the SPIRIT.....and out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks! Thank you for giving tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I sure hope the administrators of AR would break the rules and allow this post to be featured on the front page AGAIN

Jeff, thank you for the link.

Good morning everyone.

Ann, You know there is still KKK activity in Clermont and especially when you get further south down 27 into Dundee, Frostproof and further down. We still have slaves too. They're called migrant workers. Not all. But some of the grovers keep these workers in horid conditions.

George, thanks for reading. One oif the biggest problesm was that most of the country was blind to what was going on in the south. Either by ignorance or choice, it just wasn't their problem. Bloody Sunday changed all that.

Hi Deb, Great comment, Thanks for sharing. You mentioned "institutionalized" racism. I see and hear that everyday. The sad thing is they do not even know they are being racist. The media is like that. It irks me whenever I am reading the paper or listening to the news and its "the first black" or "black this ,black that" to me if you are using the word black as a qualifier it's "institutionalised racism" How do you feel about that? Am I wrong? I see people not color, so not sure what black has ro do with anything. Or is this thought from me, in itself, demeaning your heritage?

Toby, you know I have never read that book but it sounds like I should.

Andrew, That's actually an excellent idea about the schools.

Diane, Thanks. Those are some mighty kind words. I agree this is an important post. It got buried to quickly. Who knows maybe someone will request they repost it. hint hint:)

Ann...And the Migrant workers pick oranges at night. They use flashlights so they are able to see what they are doing. Shhhh. We would not want Polk County Authorities to find out about this.

Last winter I took my A.T.V. for an evening ride through the orange groves near my home. I came around a corner and 10 or so (2 were women) Migrant workers scattered in all directions. They thought I was someone other than who I was.

You would be amazed at the conditions in which Migrant workers live. Some of them actually live in trucks and vans. They park and sleep in the groves. This situation is deplorable and it is ignored by the local authorities. The good ole boys could care less that their 'slaves' have to live outside. Just so you know the orange groves where we live still go for miles and miles in all directions.

P.S. I have permission from the Grove Bosses to ride my A.T.V. through the groves. I am not trespassing when I do this :)

TLW-

Just a few years ago, I worked with a woman who lived her entire life in Central Florida. She was proud of the fact that her father and grandfather were very active in the KKK in the 40's, 50's, and 60's. In fact, she told stories of midnight marches to terrorize and antagonize the "coloreds". And up until fairly recently, Osceola County had separate schools.

I think it is only the major increase in the Hispanic population in this area that has made the "good ole boys" leave the African-Americans alone. The Hispanics have given those boys a real scare, now that the city of Kissimmee is about 46% Hispanic - the largest population group in the city! That demographic has put a real scare into those guys - and given them a whole new race to hate!

Andrew...

(given them a whole new race to hate!)...Your words.

For the Good 'Ole Boys, this constitutes............"EVOLVING"

I know that the K.K.K. is very proud. They always have been. They believe with all of their hearts that they are in the right and the rest of the world is wrong. Hey. They go to church on Sundays and do not ask God for forgiveness. What does that say about them?

I am to young to remember MLK being born in the 80s but it makes a person stop and think about the way our country was shaped and what some people have to go through

good post BB

Andrew - When I worked in higher education (which just ended this past August) this has always been a key discussion this time of year. If we "celebrate" the birthday with a day off, then the students will stay up late on Sunday drinking and do nothing to "celebrate" King's legacy on Monday.

The two private schools I worked at, instead focussed on King in their studies whenever possible and conducted special lectures and workshops that the students were excused from class to attend.

It was always an interesting day.

BB - I appreciate your sharing a youthful perspective on MLK and the race issues faced in our country through that time. What an experience to have been able to march with Dr. King.

"I realize, it's not the Church, it's the people that are evil."

I'm very glad that after a 30 year journey you came to the above conclusion. We are all fallen and sinful. Still it is particularly galling to think of an assembly of KKK members rallying to the song "Onward Christian Soldiers".

If you have the chance, read a book titled "Blue Like Jazz" which contains a chapter about this small group of Christians on an extremely liberal college campus who build a confessional booth and put it in the quad. Much to their classmates surprised, the purpose wasn't to take confession but to apologize to non-Christians for all of the atrocities committed by Christians in the past. What a paradigm shift in thinking!

Ken Stampe - Bank of America

Hey Ken, I just read that book 2 weeks ago. Very good. If you want another good one read "What's so amazing about Grace" by Philip Yancey. An awesome book about grace and forgiveness. I'm on my 4th reading. I highly recommend it.

I think I've read Yancy's "What's so Amazing about Grace" about 4 times also. Have you read "Your God is too Safe?" by Mark Buchanan? That's another good one for re-shaping your "stink-thinkin" as my pastor calls it.

Ken

Bryant,

I don't think your comment about seeing people not color is demeaning to my heritage at all. I think that is the way it should be. For some people I think it is important that if a person of color is the first one to accomplish something it should be acknowledged. I take it more as an evolution of the institutions that they have come to recognize a talented individual no matter what "package" they come in rather than that the person being an exception for their group. A person's ethnic heritage is only part of who they are. Their life experience and what they have learned from it, their education- formal or otherwise- the people they surround themselves with- all these things contribute to who they are.

I am glad you mention the situation with migrant workers. You are correct. It is no different and MLK would be fighting just as strongly for them. I am going for a walk today down MLK Blvd and Avenieda Ceasar Chavez....bet they have some good discussion between them!

The whole institutional racism issue is much more problematic and dangerous I think. It allows people to think do and say things that have many unintended results and allow people who are very concious of what they are doing to continue to do horrible things. It is the kind of thinking that can lead to many bad things that people will swear they never supported but they do. In a real estate related example, the local newspaper printed an article a few weeks ago about a fight in an apartment complex that "might have been gang related". Part of the report said that the police spokesperson declined to name what gangs they thought might be involved because they did not want to add any noteriety to any gang. Good for them. However, the paper found it necessary to report that the apartment complex had two sections, one that was subsidized and one that was not and that the fight had occurred in the subsidized section. How's that for effectifively sitgmatizing the people who live there (many of whom are poor people of color) and encouraging voters not to support subsidized housing????

It also supports the kind of closed-mindedness that causes many innocent people to get hurt or worse yet to become angry and bitter because they are mistreated. One of my husband's cousins informed me that she would never get on an airplane if there were more than two or three "Middle Eastern looking young men on it. Not after they came overhere and attacked us"....I tried briefly to explain to her why that was both unreasonable and racist (okay, so maybe it is just xenophobic rather than racist but we won't go there). She just got more upset and I knew it was pointless to try to discuss it. I did point out that it was akin to my deciding not to get on a plane with more than three or four white men onboard for fear of being lynched or raped....she insisted it was different because that didn't happen any more. At that point I had to walk away. This discussion occurred just a few weeks after the gentlman in Texas had been tied to the back of the truck and dragged to death...I think she is a good example of the many people who are good at heart, do not consider themselves racist but carry all sorts of misconceptions and rigid beliefs about groups of people they are not familiar with.

I know we all have the power to grow and to change. Fortunately it comes with being human. After all, if anywone had told me in the 70's that I would be voting for white southern men for president, I would have laughed at them and told them they were crazy, but Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee would all be counted as Southern states wouldn't they?

I love Martin Luther King, Jr., who was a true representative of heaven and not only of African Americas but all unjustly represed and discriminated people. It is sad that the ethnic and skin color prejudice of his generation still exists here in this country, not a little, but a lot. Many who say they aren't prejudiced ("we'd never do today what we did to the African Americans then, or the Japanese Americans during WWII") had a different opinion about Middle Easterners after 9/11/2001. It's the same thing. If you have to mention a person's skin color to describe them, that alone is prejudice (unless you're telling someone how to recognize them the first time they meet them without mutual acqaintences around to know who's who) - that is seeing the outside and not the inside, the human being. That we have to legally mandate or protect rights in this country for any group is in and of itself evidence of that continued prejudice here.

What is more angering to me (then and now), is the use of God and the bible as a weapon or rallying cry against those that it in fact protects and blesses. Anyone that used the word Christian in the name of the group they used to rally hatred and fear from against others is anything but Christian - they are not soldiers of Christ, but of Satan. I'll stop now, or my anger will spew out enough to fill several pages...

May the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. live on in all of us, for real.

Gabriel...The statement I hear the most around here is:

"I am not racist...But...." They then go on to follow this statement with racist remarks.

Go figure.

TLW...ROAR!

Thank you for your insight. I love the poster and would even buy it since it's great art. I posted a personal story about this day on my blog today as well. Thanks to MLK, My Grandmother Can Buy a Sailor Suit.

Bryant,

You did a lovely job of honoring Dr. King's memory with your post from which I learned a great deal. I visited all of the links you had in your post.

Today I started my day by attending a breakfast to honor Dr. King's memore. He would have been proud of the gathering and of the address delivered by an very eloquent, motivational speaker, the Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes from Dallas Texas. If you ever get the opportunity to hear him speak, you should not pass it up.

He made the point that Dr. King wants us to look ahead and not back, and that more important than the words he spoke was that he acted on them. Dr. Haynes feels that many today are stealing Dr. King's identity by using his words to promote ideals contradictory to those he stood for, particularly social justice.

Needless to say, I left the breakfast inspired, uplifted and motivated. The world owes Dr. King so very much.

Thank you for your post.

This was a very moving post. I'm so glad I was given the bully pulpit on the Carnival this week so I could post this to a larger audience.

What strikes me is how dangerous it is for society to allow the advances in Civil Rights to drift into stories to be told and history to be researched instead of making "The Dream" a living reality. Maybe the best way to advance the cause is to take the day and share our own personal journey of growth with those around us.

There are heros in every town, North and South, East and West, who have made a difference in this world with quiet leadership and a caring attitude. To thank them and share what they've done is the true celebration....at least to me.

I'm a little older than BB and grew up in the Deep South as well and can identify all the things BB shared ....and then some. My Dad died when I was a baby so my Mom had to work to support her kids. It was tough, but you do what you have to and realize there are a lot of people who have it worse than you do. My Mother hired an elderly black lady to take care of me while she was at work so she was, in essence, my Mom as well. A lady of total grace, kindness, and compassion, she taught me more about human dignity and social justice than any march, hearing, debate, or speech. While those are important, it's the personal relationships that truly make the difference.

Regards

Wow! What an incredible perspective from BB as a boy - I knew nothing about racism until I came to this country at 11 years of age. I was called a Spik and some other nasty things for never thought much of it, I was always smarter than them. I don't understand racism and hope I never will. My father's parents left their country because of religious persecution and to think that things are just as bad in some areas today overwhemls me. I pray for those people every day and hope they can turn that negative energy into something positive, something useful we can be proud of. Thanks so much for this post....and who said you're not good at opening up?

TLW - isn't that the truth. Sad...

Thirty-nine years is such a short time in the grand scheme of things. I remember MLK. I shared the dream. I also remember the race riots and the whole section of north Minneapolis and later Chicago that was burned during the riots. I also know that even though many can say they don't see prejudice in the north, it's here. It's just more secretive and almost more insidious because it's so deeply ingrained it's not recognized. Much like Deb Hurt said in her comments, it's the unspoken messages, the correlation between crime and people of color, between laziness and people of color, between poverty and people of color, between lack of education and people of color, between welfare and people of color, between gangs and people of color.

I had several black male friends in the late '60's in Chicago. These were men braving a lily white college campus to get ahead in the world. Time after time incidents happened because I was walking down the street to a coffee shop or the park with one of my friends. One time the driver at the stop light missed the green for gawking at a mixed race couple. Another time we were threatened by someone carrying a sling shot because we were walking in the park. I've lost touch with most of those men. Some went on to higher things. One composed the music for Clinton's inaugural. I wonder what happened to the ones I lost contact with. Did they go on to be businessmen? Did they become social workers or teachers?

The discomfort was on both sides. A black person who succeeded was an Oreo. A white woman who walked with a black man was a slut. It wasn't said out loud, but there was an edge of discomfort. When I walked into the black student association meeting on campus to meet my friends, I was not welcome because of my race. It was the first time I had experienced being the minority and being outcast because of my skin color. It was eery and scary.

Those days were volatile. The entire nation was in upheaval over race and Viet Nam and then Watergate. It changed the face of our culture. Things that were so important and made such an impact on my generation have been reduced to 3 paragraphs in Wikipedia! In another 40 years, it will be lucky to be one or two lines.

JAN

2007

That was absolutely a great post. If only all of the adults in the world would see things through the eyes of children I think we would be far better off. You are a great man Bryant. You probably don't even know what a blessing this post was. Martin Luther King I am sure has smiled upon you as one great man to another. One day this world will wake up and realize we are all here together. Then maybe as a world we can focus on the issues of the world today and make it a better place for our children tomorrow.

God Bless,

David

Good morning everyone. All of your comments are really great. I appreciate everyone reading and adding your thoughts to the issue of racism. We are all so fortunate to be able to share this way. Thank you.

Darlin (Broker Bryant) Hubba! Bubba!

Congratulations on having the Blog Post included in the top picks in:

The Carnival Of Real Estate this week.

To tell you I am proud would somewhat of an understatement. I waaay beyond proud. I am downright impressed. Wink. Wink.

Comment by "YOUR Lovely Wife" :)

TLW...ROAR!

MLK was a great man indeed and his movements does have a trickle down on many industries including reale state, i agree!

www.EagleResorts.com

Bryant,

I'm sorry I didn't see this post yesterday. It is quite moving. Thank you for sharing. I agree with many of the comments about racism in the north being more subtle but still there. One comment said:"If only we all saw the world through the eyes of children" that is very true, children are not prejudice it is taught to them from parents or teachers or peers.

I remember years ago my nephew was five and he was naming all his friends in school. His mother my sister -in-law said "what about the little black girl?" My nephew said "Mommy she's not a little back girl she's a little girl" I was blown away by what he said and realized how wrong his mother was to say something like that.

Bryant,

What a beautiful tribute. You see, I was not fortunate to be young enough to witness this historical chapter. This is truly history. Much of what I have learned was from my ancestors, as they spoke around BBQs, across the dinner tables, during Sunday family gatherings, and the like talking about the "Times."

As I read your blog, I remembered how we as adults can learn from children. We are really the fools, the monsters, the key to negativity and destruction. It seems as man gets older, he also gets weaker in love. Children don't care about race, social status etc. Adults do. Worse off, adults contaminate their children, if they are not careful---permeating hatred throughout.

The only way we can change our future for the better is to proactively make a difference. Teach our children how to truly love and set examples. Thank You for your beautiful post. If I was still teaching, I would share this with my students in class. Tonight, I will share this with my children as I tuck them in to bed and tell them, "Mommie Loves You."

JAN

2007

Bryant,

It's hard to add more to your post and what has been shared here. Superb tribute to MLK with a "personal touch." Obviously MLK's legacy is a defining moment (era) in our Nations history and the quest for racial equality. Wouldn't it be great to be able to sit in on a meeting between him and "Honest Abe."

Bryant - I attended college in Cochran, GA for a couple of quarters in 1969/70. They, too, had the balcony section. Only whites were allowed in the local "greasy spoon" - there was a side window like you see now for drive-thrus for blacks.

I also remember quite vividly coming around a corner in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1973 in a hotel van from the airport and finding a burning cross across the street from the Holiday Inn.

Jerry Spence, the renowned trial lawyer, had a great chapter in one of his books that came out around the time of the "OJ" trial. In it, is a chapter on racism in which he states - we are all racists. Every human being has prejudices and biases including those around race. The question is - do we recognize it or are we in denial or some other intellectually removed state of rationalization.

If we recognize it, there is hope for us. If we avoid the deep look into "The Heart of Darkness," we just act it out in unconscious ways.

What's your dream?

My dream is for color not to be an issue. I would love to read the paper, watch the news or whatever without color being a qualifying term. I don't need to know your color, I need to know your heart.

The last few comments brought to mind a prayer request from a Church we have been to.

The prayer request stated that an elderly man had a heart attack and needed our prayers. The part that blew me away about this prayer request is that in the request in stated, for whatever reason, that the elderly man that needed our prayers was black. Black what? Was my response to this prayer request.

Does anyone other than me find that prayer request appalling?

TLW...ROAR!

It's appalling, sad and racist. Talk about good intentions gone bad

Bryant, aka. BB.. thank you for sharing your experience. I am too young to have experienced these times, but hearing first hand fom you is moving. I have seen/experienced and discussed many racist type ideas with friends from different races. Deep down I always wonder how these things affect them as people, whether they are aware of it or not. Their though process, actions and reactions to society and it's 'rules'.

It must have been something to have been there. Also, your story of your friendship is just another gold nugget about who you were and are today.

real estate appraiser serving florida counties: palm beach county, broward county, martin county, port saint lucie county, dade county As far as to comment on MLK, all I can say about Dr. Martin Luther King is that he deserves the upmost respect as he showed us how 1 person can make such a difference. Amazing. Sad to see that so many kids these days just dont get it and take their rights for granted. What Dr. King fought and ultimately gave his life for is so HUGE that everyone should be thankful.

Thank you 3C I thought so too. The last place I would expect to see something like that was in a Church Prayer Request. TLW...ROAR!

On the plus side, I was reading an article in the Washington Post about a guy who has spent the last 20 years going all over the Country managing political campaigns and he decided to hang up his spurs, so to speak. He mentioned advice from James Carville, when he was wondering who to work for: don't work for a racist or a crook. He said he stuck to that. I liked that! (of course, we don't always know ahead of time:-)

FEB

2007

Thank you for including this post in Fraiche Aire! I deeply appreciate the sharing of truth and shedding of light in the dark areas of our human experience. This is what will ultimately transform our industry and country, one heart at a time.

Lola Audu, Grand Rapids, Michigan

FEB

2007

Bryant, What a wonderful post! I couldn't agree with you more. Have a Blessed Day!

Thanks Bridgette, Welcome to AR by the way. I will look forward to seeing you around.

FEB

2007

Thanks for the warm welcome! Glad to be here.

MAR

2007

I know I'm late reading this, I'm trying to "catch up" with everyone :)

Thank you for a very thoughtful, inspirational post. I am looking forward to sharing it with my children so they can appreciate all the changes that have been made as well as the work still left to do.

Great writing! Thanks again!

SEP

2007

Wow, I hardly know you yet I now have an immense respect for you. Your honesty and passion ring so true. I grew up in California and went to Berkeley so fighting racism seemed to be a part of my blood from very early on. More recently I chaired the Equal Opportunity and Cultural Diversity Committee for the Calif. Assoc. of REALTORS and was president of the board of The Housing Rights Center of So. Calif. before moving to NC. You are absolutely right my friend, racism is very much alive and well in the good old USA but as REALTORS we can make a difference; one family at a time. Thanks again for bringing this back for us to read!

Hi Diane, Thanks for stopping by. This post brought back a lot of memories some good and some very very bad.

APR

2008

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