Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr 's ' Voice Echoed Across The National Mall '

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It has been half a century since Martin Luther King Jr’s voice echoed across the national mall with a message of optimism and unity to a quarter of a million Americans gathered to listen. A corner stone of American history now, the moment “I have a dream” first reached the eager ears of millions denied their due rights marks a turning point in American race relations. A period when black Americans would finally earn privileges long denied to them as citizens treated as anything but equals. Only, the story does not end with that speech. Racism and privilege cannot be erased overnight through legislation, indeed, it often hides in legislation. That is to say nothing of the deep, psychological and social constructs which allowed for the…show more content…
In case after case, racism, privilege remains; to devastating effect. It was with a vigor and eloquence that Wise presented example after example which reminded the audience that the story of civil rights in America is still being written. It was perhaps inevitable that the discussion would turn to the politics of today, and Wise presented a fascinating, if damning examination of the movement which swept Donald J. Trump to the presidency. The core message, “Make America Great Again” and oft repeated calls to take America “back” clearly indicates an other that must be resisted and a return to a time when America was by no means great for all of its citizens. “By means of a radicalized nostalgia for a mythological past, the right is enlisting fearful whites into its campaign for reactionary social and economic policies.” Wise attributed much of Trump’s rise not to outright racism, but to a sense of betrayal rooted in the slow erosion of the American working class, the departure of manufacturing jobs and increasing income inequality. There is a “secular gospel [in the United States]….if you just work hard you will make it and if you don’t
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