The Real State of The Union
By Keith Boykin, in politics
Tuesday, February 7 2006, 4:19PM
A year ago this month, I sat in New Birth Missionary Baptist Church for Tavis Smiley's annual "State of the Black Union," an event which brought together some of the leading figures in black America to discuss our collective concerns. This year I returned to New Birth to see the State of the Black Union in 2006. But this time I wasn't a panelist and I wasn't there in person. Instead, I was traveling on a plane all afternoon as I watched the funeral services for Coretta Scott King on TV during my flight on Delta's Song airline.
I didn't understand it at first, but after a few hours of watching the funeral services I realized that I was watching the real State of the Union. It was not the scripted, highly staged prime time event of the week before. It was an unscripted back and forth exchange of ideas, concerns, fears, hopes and aspirations for our country. It was the real State of the Union, as experienced by real people, and delivered by Dr. Joseph Lowery, Dr. Maya Angelou, Senator Ted Kennedy, former President Bill Clinton, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and many others.
When New Birth's Bishop Eddie Long introduced President Bush with a kiss and a hug, he described Bush as our "commander-in-chief," an apt title but an odd choice at a funeral service for a woman of peace. But throughout the day, it was the words of the disenfranchised and oppressed that rang most loudly in the 10,000-seat cathedral.
Bush's pleasant speech was filled with beautiful platitudes and religious imagery that awakened the sense of spirituality among the audience. But for all the wonderful words, his speech missed the opportunity to dedicate his life, his presidency or his administration to the causes that Coretta Scott King stood for in her life. Instead, it fell to others to take up the charge, and that they did.
The Freedom Choir
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin gave a rousing speech, calling out the names of great female leaders before her, and spoke rhetorically of how Mrs. King had now become the newest member of the "freedom choir" of guardian angels that lead us on. She said that Coretta Scott King's extraordinary voice "never trembled" but instead sang out with clarity on the causes of racism, the senselessness of war and the need to fight poverty.
Taking the musical metaphor to the next level, Franklin said that Mrs. King occasionally had to sing a cappella and too often she sang solo, but she never stopped singing. And with that message she encouraged everyone to finish the song that Coretta had started.
In a service filled with Christian rhetoric, Sherry Frank of the American Jewish Committee stood up and spoke of how Mrs. King was a defender of the Jewish community in the United States and Dr. Maya Angelou explained that Mrs. King prayed for Palestine and for Israel equally. As former President Jimmy Carter reminded the audience, Coretta King was concerned about social justice everywhere in the world, not just in the United States.
Political Voices
Senator Ted Kennedy brought down the house by recounting the story of how his brother John Kennedy helped to get Dr. King released from jail in October 1960, but he also challenged the tough talking Christianity of the religious right by simply quoting from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount in the Bible. "Blessed are the peacemakers," he said, "for they will be called the children of God."
But in a day filled with eloquence and beautiful voices, it was Dr. Joseph Lowery who electrified the audience with his remarks. Dr. Lowery was the first of the speakers that I saw to mention Coretta Scott King's support for gays and lesbians, reminding the audience that Mrs. King "frowned on homophobia." And it was Dr. Lowery who publicly rebuked the sitting President of the United States standing behind him when he said that there were no weapons of mass distraction in Iraq. Instead he said there were "weapons of misdirection" here at home.
Calling on those at the service to live out the true meaning of Mrs. King's vision and legacy, he asked the audience to do something about health insurance, poverty and war.
Dr. Maya Angelou followed suit by reminding us that Mrs. King "cared for gay and straight" people and said all of us "owe something so this gathering is not just a footnote in the pages of history."
Even Jimmy Carter spoke politically for a moment when he told a story of how the King family had been the targets of "secret government wiretapping," a not too veiled reminder of the wiretapping scandal at the core of the Bush administration today. Dr. King, said President Carter, was not just the greatest leader the state of Georgia had ever produced but perhaps the greatest leader America had ever produced. And then to make that point clearer, he emphasized that he included George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the list of leaders as well. And it was Jimmy Carter who called out the lesson of Hurricane Katrina when he said that the color of the faces of the people in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi was a reminder that we do not yet have equal opportunity for all Americans. Even President Bush was forced to stand for that remark.
Past and Future Presidents
Dr. Lowery's speech may have been the most beautiful of the event, but it was President Clinton's presence that seemed to cause the most attention. The mere introduction of the former president generated thunderous applause and an extended standing ovation, as he took to the lectern with his wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. And when Clinton spoke of what an honor it was to be at the church with his president and his former presidents, there seemed to be an echo of irony in the audience as many wondered whether they might also be watching a future president in Hillary.
There are not many people on the planet who could bring together that gathering that assembled in Atlanta today. Black and white, Democrats and Republicans, politicians and clergy, women and men, straight and gay, rich and poor, from all corners of the globe came to pay their respects to Mrs. Coretta Scott King.
She was surely a legend, as many people pointed out, but she was also a living human being, as Bill Clinton observed thoughtfully. She was a real person, not just a symbol. And of all her numerous accomplishments, perhaps none is greater than the legacy that she left. That she was able to bring the President of the United States to Atlanta to listen to the plight of the people that many felt he had once ignored. I don't know what speech George Bush thought he was giving last week in Washington. But down in Atlanta, he was forced to hear the real State of the Union.
See a minute-by-minute account of the service
Rod 2.0 Live Blog on Coretta Scott King Funeral
See photo gallery
Republic of T on Rev. Joseph Lowery
Comments conceal
graylocks
February 7 2006, 5:14PM
Atallah Shabaaz gave a poignant and moving eulogy to Mrs. Corretta Scott-King.
graylocks
February 7 2006, 5:17PM
definitely el Hajj Malik's daughter she carries his spirit and presence, a beautiful culmination of the dual efforts of Dr. Betty Shabaaz and Mrs. Scott-King
winne
February 7 2006, 5:30PM
Thanks for your commentary, Keith. I missed the live-cast. I knew I could depend on you to keep us up-to-date.
Keep up the excellent work.
Mrs. King RIP.
cmoney
February 7 2006, 6:33PM
I listened to most of the funeral today online and I must say that Ted Kennedy and Jimmy Carter are the last real Democrats in this country. Ironically, it was Democrats (Kennedys)who were wiretapping the Kings. Jimmy Carter truly has more balls than all of the former and current presidents combined. None, however, had more strength, presence and rightousness than Coretta Scott King. We must carry on her dream.
heather
February 7 2006, 8:37PM
[Note: Comment deleted. Please keep your comments relevant to the topic.]
Jeff Hobbs
February 7 2006, 8:50PM
NO SHE DIDN'T! Lord have mercy. What kind of question to ask after such a poignant article. Call Dr. Ruth or whoever. This is not the place.
Its a sad day seeing Mrs. King pass. I cried for all my friends whom I know were sad because this is a piece of the freedom puzzle. Mrs. King will always live in our hearts. I hope her and Martin are dancing in heaven!:)
Lynn
February 7 2006, 9:13PM
Please do not send junk mail to me.
I just want to comment that your coverage of the Coretta Scott King funeral was splendid. I did not get to hear the speeches in their entirety, but appreciated your filling in the blanks. Coretta will be sadly missed and I feel a personal void has been left and I am a white jewish sister who knew her growing up. I continue to work to bring people of different faiths and backgrounds together to better understand their differences and to coexist in my community. Thanks again for your news of the day. We must all continue Coretta's unfinished work.
s
February 7 2006, 9:45PM
[Comment Deleted. This is not a valid email address.]
KC
February 7 2006, 11:16PM
As always, Keith, I enjoy reading your articles. Keep up the good work!
S, the service was indeed "filled with Christian rhetoric". I don't recall hearing speakers endorsing Islam, Judaism, or any other religion or speaking of their tenets as obvious truths. It was the family's choice and right to hold such a service in behalf of their relative's memory. For that reason, most of the viewers were probably not offended.
How did people endure beatings, dog attacks, lynchings and bombings? More than anything else, it was their resolution to no longer tolerate the atrocities and injustices that were being committed against them and others that empowered them to endure beatings, dog attacks, lynchings, and bombings. More than a few people fighting on the front lines of the civil right movement were non-religious or adhered to religions other than Christianity. It appears as though S has forgotten his or her roots as well. I dare say that the vast majority of Africans forced to live as slaves in this country were not Christians. In fact, Christianity was yet another subjugation that Africans were forced to adopt. "Slaves obey your masters", indeed!
And Heather, your disclaimer that you are "not trying to hate" is very transparent and quite unconvincing. You might want to ask your heterosexual friends and family your question about anal sex, which appears to be equated in your mind with gay sex. Many heterosexual men engage in anal sex. Many heterosexual women engage in anal sex.
s
February 7 2006, 11:58PM
[Comment Deleted. This is not a valid email address.]
Michael-Vincent Crea
February 8 2006, 3:22AM
8 February 2006
Mother-Sister-Mentor-Saint Coretta Scott King's
passing and Homegoing has opened up the floodgates
on fields laying fallow, so that Truth and Justice may flow down like a mighty stream for one and ALL!
The Rev. Lowery, a longtime supporter of GLBT rights, and likewise Coretta, spoke "the Truth with charity," not being channeled by the BUSH-DICKCHENEYSHIP's corporate cabal or Dubya's
'doublespeaking,' imperialized disinformation of network or canned cable commentators, providing cover for these international war criminals.
The Rev. Joseph Lowery lowered the boom on this Pirate occupying the Office of the President[as well as Haiti, Iraq, Afganistan, Palestine, New Orleans, and now, our PHONES, EMAIL & HOMES]. Elected President Jimmy Carter's unequivocally stated Dr. King as being the best person that this nation ever produced with Coretta Scott King,
in her own way living and saving their legacy.
President Carter evoked the color of the Katrina
long-suffering survivors, as evidencing the glaring inequalities still existing in this
Bush DickCheneyship's 'land of the fearful and home of bravado!' He and Rev. Lowery rose rightly
as knights in this "Return of the Jedi," in behalf
of The King's "Beloved Community!"
For those challenging the men and women, who boldly graced Mrs. King's Homegoing by letting
'the chickens come home to roost,' by shining REAL
LIGHT for ALL of us about the deeds of darkness delivered by Commanders-in-Thieves Dubya and Darth
Cheney during this episode of the "Empire Strikes Back," need only heed the voice of the African Saint Augustine: "What is a government without
Justice but a band of thieves!" Amen! Alleluia!
Not since shaking hands with Jesse Owens, whose
fierce feats gave the Fuhrer fits right in front of him, have I felt any hope from a leader left in this land face-to-face with FASCISM, as with our brother and friend, Rev. Joe Lowery leaving a
NO-PREZ's behind, especially without a handshake!
Let ALL in the 'congregation,'the country and the worldwide "Beloved Community" of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King: RISE UP and NOW, join in singing, together, IMPEACHBUSH.org!!! Thanks for the memories and our marching orders, Coretta! May you 'Rest in Peace,' while we work for
"Liberty and Justice for ALL!"
With peace, prayers, celebration of Life and LOVE,
Steadfast in the Spirit,
Michael-Vincent Crea, Pastor
One World Life Systems
PS As one who follows Jesus, I give thanks and KUDOS to Keith Boykin, for the courage of his
convictions and offering all of us a model of LOVE, that is GOD, just like the good Samaritan!
Texas76132
February 8 2006, 8:43AM
The funeral service was wonderful, especially the statement from Malcolm X's daughter. It was so raw and honest, it nearly brought me to tears. You could feel the love and admiration from her. As far as the political jabs directed at President Bush, there is a time and place for everything. A funeral service is never the place. That was Mrs King's homecoming. She will never breathe another day on this earth and they should have been big enough to put their egos aside long enough to give her the spotlight she deserved. Nobodies mind was changed politically so what was the point. It was out of place, not to mention disrespectful. If the King family was gracious enough to invite the President to speak at the service, the other guest should have been gracious enough to accept that fact and behave themselves. Whether they (or us for that matter) like it or not, Mrs King had personal contact with everyone who spoke at the service, including President Bush. If they can overlook the differences of people with different political persuasions to honer their mother, then so should we. Shame on them for acting like that. They violated the spirit of cooperativeness Mrs King embodied. It was a funeral, not a political convention, so that stuff should have been left for another time and day. On another note, I am very glad the King family did not have Jessie and Al speak at the service. The cartoonish antics of those traveling preachers would have turned it into a three ring circus which would have been tragic. Al spoke at the memorial service and did the usual showboating he always does. And I could care less about Jessie Jackson. He needs to stay home and take care of that baby of his. I was also amazed at the King's family willingness to forgive and forget for the sake of their mother's memory. MLK never trusted Jessie Jackson and wanted no part of him. And considering what Jessie Jackson tried to do to him when he was alive, it was somewhat humorous to hear Jessie come across as a savior of the King family legacy after the service was over. Thank goodness their roles at the funeral were nonexistent. Kudos to the Pastor and his congregation for putting on a fabulous and respectable service.
tj
February 8 2006, 9:51AM
@Texas -
Well said. Anyone who thought Lowery's antic was appropiate has as much class as the fools that threatened to protest her funeral. Not one member of the King family agreed or laughed - they were annoyed. That's just why the King family didn't want those other old school clowns up there (Jackson, Sharpton, etc.). Thank God President Clinton stepped up and rebuked the showboaters for disrespecting the family and reminded them that they were their to pay respect to the King family and Mrs. King and not their own political agendas. He got the funeral back on its course by highlighting her life work and spiritual faith. He also rebuked blacks in ATL for being so properous and allowing the King Center struggle financially. The Clintonite Negroes weren't cheering loud when this was said. lol
Overall, the service was beautiful. My favorite speaker was Attallah Shabazz. She's a class act. She summed up the spirit of what the King Children endured and the beautiful giving heart of their mother. She quickly helped us forget the silly political sideshows the DEMS, as always, try to put on whenever Bush is present. Silly rabbits....tricks are for kids.
Mr Bob
February 8 2006, 10:36AM
Yesterday when I heard former presidents and preachers turn the memorial service of a great lady into a political rally I was livid. How far will these people stoop I said to myself. Then I heard the presidents speech. It was awesome, filled with truth and sincerety. There will always be racial bigots because of the nature of mankind, we do what we can to discourage it, and we have come a long way in doing that here in the US.
The new bigotry is the bigotry of the Democrat party. They turn even a funeral into an occasion to slam the other party..they have no class. They use the same old arguments that Republicans don't care about the poor because they don't believe that socialized programs are effective, but saying they don't care is a lie and you and I know that. They believe in different solutions.
The once great party of Democrats is now a classless bunch that will stop at nothing (including aiding and abetting the enemies of the US) to gain their political power back. it is why they are losing and will continue to lose.
I challenge any believer to listen to Bush's speech from the funeral, it is filled with grace and truth.
heather
February 8 2006, 11:04AM
kc
i am asking an honest question. you remind me of black women (and i am a black woman) who get angry if a white person asks a question about their hair. how else is one to know but to ask. if gay people are about dialogue, why must you control the dialogue? dialogue by definition is two-way. am i no allowed to ask a question when i don't understand an issue? if this is so, then your movement will never get anywhere if you won't allow people to TRY understand. if i feel afraid to ask you for fear of how you will react to the question, then we get nowhere.
Derrick from Philly
February 8 2006, 11:12AM
"Shame on you for not understanding your history as a black man..."
When greedy hypocrites such as T.D.Jakes and other black preachers teach young people to hate Gay and transgendered people I'm not sure these preachers understand or appreciate their history as black men. After enduring 400 years of inhumane treatment, persecution, lynching--now they spout crap out their mouths that results in the murder and lynching of Gay and transgendered black kids such as Sakia Gunn.
Reverend Lowry should remind people how Christian Mrs King was by mentioning her stand against homophobia and hatred. But I sure aint no good Christian 'cause I can't help but hate these homophobic, ignorant, lyin' ass, on the DL black (and KKK white trash preachers) who...
Sorry, this discussion should be about the humanity and courage of Mrs Coretta Scott King, not about what's still so wrong in the black community, and the hyprocisy of too many black churches--persecuting black Gay folks, committing violence against us just for being what we are.
s
February 8 2006, 11:23AM
[Comment Deleted. This is not a valid email address.]
hammerhead
February 8 2006, 12:52PM
i get so tired of those accusations of homophobia. i guess i'm an adulteraphobe too then cause i don't believe that adultery is right. just because one believes that your behavior is wrong does not mean that they hate you. no one should be mistreated because they struggle with or choose to yield to homosexual spirits, but don't tell me that i hate you because of your lifestyle. i'm not trying to lynch you, fire you, call you names, put a police dog on you, firehose you, bomb you or anything else like what black people endured for ages in this country. it ain't the same.
Keith Boykin
February 8 2006, 1:17PM
A message to all users:
As you may know, I recently changed the policy on comments on the site. As of January 1, comments that are off topic, commercial or inappropriate are routinely removed.
This is not a message board. This is a comment board. If you would like an open, unfiltered discussion place, please check out the message board instead.
I have also been removing certain anonymous comments. Of course, you have the right to express controversial opinions here. But you do not have the right to do so without accountability. Posting an anonymous comment that attacks someone or some group of people does not provide accountability.
In case you haven't figured it out, many of the people who come to this site are black and gay. If you have a problem with that, then you need to go somewhere else.
If you can live with that and wish to participate in the discussion here, then please do so responsibly.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Derrick from PHilly
February 8 2006, 1:46PM
"...what black folks went through in this country. It ain't the same."
When a young black gay man, small in physical stature and un-offensive in his manner, is attacked by a gang of young black thugs, it is an attempt at a lynching. That's what happened here in Philadelphia to Lucas Dawson a few months ago. What helps to fuel that kind of violence and contempt toward black Gay people? Some of the hateful language spoken in black churches by black minis...preachers all over this country, the Carribean, and Africa. I ain't tryin' to let white homophobe savages off the hook--no way-- but this is about black folks' memory of what oppression feels like and the humanity it takes to resist inflicting it upon someone else.
When you're black and gay and being beaten, knocked to the ground, kicked and stomped on--it helps you (if you survive) to understand what thousands of black folks went through in the struggle for freedom--only the catch is your attackers ain't white racist garbage, they're black--and sometimes they call themselves Christians or Muslims or whatever.
Also, if Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr could preach Christian values without attacking Gay people for their natural sexual orientation why can't those T.D. Jakes type preachers? The founder of the Christian religion didn't see the need to condemn Gay folks, I mean "faggots"--that's what most black preachers call us on Sunday mornings.
Regan DuCasse
February 8 2006, 2:13PM
Well, Hammerhead...it's true being black isn't always like being gay.
Being a woman ain't like being a man. And being a Jew ain't like being a Muslim.
Being what you are is what you are.
And listen up, being gay isn't a lifestyle, it's an orientation.
Being gay isn't a culture. Homosexuality transcends ALL cultures, families and religions.
Being gay, is simply being different.
But the suffering, the threat, the isolation from family and faith community-the violence is not any more acceptable than it was against blacks during Jim Crow.
I don't know how old you are.
Maybe you NEVER lived under Jim Crow.
And you sure were never a slave.
So here and now...what gay folks know and deal with and are threatened by...isn't something you have a right to deny.
Mel Smith
February 8 2006, 2:39PM
I enjoyed watching the service on television. Hammerhead, why don't you actually think before you type your comments. James Baldwin, Bayard Rustin, Lagnston Hughes, and many others were black homosexuals. Please people, think before you type so freely.
Jeff
February 8 2006, 3:27PM
Hammerhead said "'I'm not trying to lynch you, fire you, call you names, put a police dog on you, firehose you, bomb you or anything else like what black people endured for ages in this country. it ain't the same."
Maybe you're not Hammerhead but there are those who have done those things or have you not heard about Tomeka Thomason Gray, Matthew Sheppard, etc. There are those who feel it's okay and since noone has said that it's not alright to discriminate and murder someone because of their sexual orientation, it happens more than you know. And since both you and I weren't born during the civil rights nor were we born during the holocaust (and I'm assuming not Jewish), we don't know what that was like. You don't have to to know that it' wasn't a good thing. Neither is the outright bigotry towards same gender loving people. Discrimination is just that....
hammerhead
February 8 2006, 8:03PM
well derrick,
everyone that disagrees with homosexuality is not a hatemonger. i would not call you names. i've lost two friends since 1990 of aids - i did not hate them or call them names and i wouldn't do that to you. i cared for them and i miss them dearly. i just want you to not tuck me in that box and say that everyone who doesn't agree with you hates you. i would think that that would make a person miserable to go around thinking that everyone hates them. personally, i don't believe that homosexuality just is. i believe that either you choose it or you inherited a spirit (which you choose to yield to). believing that does not make me hate you. God bless you and i'm not typing that as a tag line. God bless you (from a sister that loves you and does not hate you). and mel, i know that those brothers were gay. langston is one of my mother's favorite poets and james baldwin's if beale street could talk was the second book that i read by a black author (junior high) and i remember it like it was yesterday. and i know all about rustin's work in the struggle. i'm not ignorant just because i disagree with you.
JamesBon
February 9 2006, 8:49PM
cmoney's and MrBob's comments sound like they are Republican plants whose job it is to bash Democrats. Cmoney, Kennedy did not wiretap the Kings; J Edgar Hoover did. And Mr Bob's comments are just a political ad for Bush. Please think of the many good, positive ways democrats have contributed to equal rights. And Bill & Hillary Clinton, the next president of the United States, are the foremost democrats of our time.
Correta Scott King and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be remembered through American history as icons for the struggle of human justice and the triumph of spirit that cannot be matched today. Truly, in this age of spin and marketing, who has the honesty to bare their soul to America?
cmoney
February 9 2006, 10:49PM
I'm nobody's Republican--ever. Robert Kennedy, as Attorney General, authorized wiretaps on the Kings and Malcolm X. RFK, JFK and Johnson all got regular reports from FBI Director Hoover on King. That's just a historical fact. The fact that JFK, RFK, Malcolm X and MLK were assasinated and then Johnson stepped down while Hoover remained in power strongly suggests who was behind all the mayhem. You do the math.
Sammy Allen
February 10 2006, 1:33AM
Instead of critiquing Mrs. King's funeral, why don't we concentrate on carrying on her work. The answer doesn't lie in any one person, but in a collective group of Americans who want to see the world free of violence, bigotry, gender bias, homophobia, religious zealots and political domination.
Let's move on there is work to do.