Well, I've gone and done it--finally created the Blogside Inn, a place for discussion, information, contemplation, a cyber-pint or two, or just some good craic. It's a tribute to my favorite Irish pub, the Bogside Inn, in the Catholic neighborhood of Londonderry called Bogside. It's known to the world as the site of the Bloody Sunday massacre, but it's also a treasure trove of history and culture. If you visit the Bogside Inn, you will get a liberal dose of history, a lot of good conversation, gossip, neighborhood legend and lore, and some good information...I wanted to re-create that feeling in the Blogside Inn. The only difference is that the pints will be cyber-pints...I haven't figured out how to serve alcohol in cyberspace, and some of you are too young to drink, heh, heh...
I want to remind everyone in this first post that you have a day off class on Monday, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. I hope this isn't just a day off for you...take some time to remember Martin, because he forced the country to live up to the statements it made in its founding documents, mainly "All men are created equal." For a couple of hundred years, there was an asterisk by that statement, indicating that it really only applied to white people, because the southern states of the ex-Confederacy practiced open discrimination against African Americans. Martin King's non-violent campaign for full civil rights for African-Americans closed the chasm between rhetoric and reality in American history and politics...you can't believe the number of people all over the world who brought that up repeatedly, e.g. "you say everyone is equal, yet you allow discrimination and racism against black people." Martin King didn't end racism and segregation, but his efforts ultimately made them illegal and subject to legal action when they occur. That was a huge gift to the nation. So please, remember Martin King and all he meant to the country on Monday.
4 comments:
Very cleaver name. I'm not sure this name is could be a better reflection of you.
Well, I started to comment once but now that Google has taken this over, I had to sign in through blogger.com before I could comment. I didn't cut and paste so hopefully I can remember what I said. Pass the cyberpint please (and yes, I am beyond old enough).
I grew up in a small town in North Idaho where there were no minorities so the Civil Rights Movement didn't pertain to me. Plus my mother was married to the posterboy of rednecks so as an adult, I'm amazed at the crap that came out of his mouth. Thankfully I went another direction and didn't become prejudice like him.
I wasn't aware of Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement until I saw his biography on TV. Wow, I was blown away by his intelligence, eloquence and charisma. What a shame he was gunned down in Memphis when he had so much more work to do. This was also the first time I saw the police use fire hoses on African-Americans to break up protests and the lifeless lynching victims hanging in trees. I still can't believe this happened in the United States. I've always wondered if African-Americans had been allowed to migrate on their own free will, would they have suffered the prejudices that they did?
I've only become aware since I've been grown up of the impact the movement had on people all over the world. Everyone abroad knows and admires Martin King, and so many people and movements tried to emulate him in their own struggles, with varying degrees of success. I am sure he never suspected how much he would affect the course of history.
Welcome Blogside Inn, to the wonderful world of virtual opinion tossing. I look forward to reading great things here and learning at the feet of a master.
Here is a great website at CNN regarding some of Dr. King's most famous papers and speeches. The CNN/Specials website has some excellent resources for historical events. Their site on the Cold War is great.
Anyway, here's the address for Dr. King:
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/king.papers/
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