Antony: I have yet to get the audios of his speeches, which I know that I will have to do, just out of the necessity to hear his beautiful voice stating these very words. Two things strike me about this speech:
First, Martin seemed able, at least in this speech, to not only inspire emotional responses by those that were listening to him, in a way, able to stir the spirit of those people, yet he was also able to be "practical", in speaking about the actual laws on the books that "forbid" a negro from sitting on certain sections of the bus. I never really noticed that balance before in a speech of his, because the ability to "raise the roof" is always what got my attention. But, both parts are needed, I believe, to be an effective activist.
That being said, the second part that I think of when I read this one, is something that I read about Rosa Parks after she passed away a year or two ago. She often said in interviews after the Montgomery bus boycotts, and her arrest, that she didn't sit down INTENDING to be an activist, INTENDING on disobeying the so called city ordinance.
She had worked all day and she was tired.
Something that I would presume many of us would want to do at the end of a hard day's work. So, in a sense, she became an activist without even intending to. The lesson I take from that is that, even when I am sitting down because I am tired, I am making a statement, standing for something important, making a difference.
I really don't want to wait for others to represent me, or our community. I need to be brave enough and strong enough to say the words myself. So we can all "sit" in any seat on the "bus" that we want to.
