Hardie Blake, Jr.
Keynote Speaker, MLK Jr. Celebration
Monday,
January 18, 2010
Century Center, South Bend, Indiana
My sister, Gladys, said I
have only 20 minutes to speak, so I'm going to take 20 minutes to do my introduction, and 20 minutes to speak, and 20 minutes
to close. That's how preachers interpret 20 minutes. No, I understand that there is a lot more on this morning's program,
so I will try to be good. Not short; just good.
I thank God, and give honor to God first.
When I say I honor God, I am not saying it for sheer formality. I give honor to Jesus, because He is my Lord and Savior;
honor to my parents, the most giving people I know; to my wife, Perl, who is the love of my life.
I
thank the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation of St. Joseph County and the South Bend Heritage Foundation for the privilege
and honor of speaking to this tremendously powerful assembly of leaders, men, women, children, fathers, mothers, brothers
and sisters. May God bless each one of you individually, and all of you collectively. The word of God says, "Give
honor to all men, women, and children," and, having done that, I want to give special thanks to my sister, Gladys Mohammad.
She is a great sister, a tremendous woman, and one of hardest working people I know.
I also want to
give special thanks to the Mayor of Mishawaka, Bob Buetter (smile); no...? Jeff Rea... I had to get you Jeff, for not
calling me back. I give special thanks to Phil Newbold, Reg Wagle, and Margo DeMont of Memorial Hospital, because not
only did they sponsor eight tables for Project Impact and Men of Scars, but along with Charlie Asher and Abe Marcus, they
invested in Men of Scars and Daughters of Destiny from the very beginning as a startup. I would also like to give special
thanks to Pat McMahon of Project Future, because with creativity and innovation, he is doing from the TOP what I would like
to do with creativity and innovation from the BOTTOM. He is leading Project FUTURE. I am leading Project NOW.
BECAUSE THE DREAM IS NOW. If we as a nation are going to live up to its possibilities of "One Nation, Under God,
With Liberty and Justice for All", NOW is the time to begin to do it.
Also I give special
thanks to the Mayor of the City of South Bend, Steve Luecke, to Jeff Gibney, Executive Director of Economic Development, to
the Redevelopment Commissioners, and ALL the people of the City of South Bend, Indiana for funding Project Impact-South Bend's
Job Readiness Training Program. In PISB Job Readiness Training Program, we teach the participants to become BEETs
- Best Employee Ever Trained; to develop a mindset of being the BEST, on whatever job they are hired to do.
We
started with 150 registered participants. 120 of those entered our one week boot camp. Of those,
82 finished the boot camp and entered the 10 week training course.
67
successfully graduated
53 of the graduates had felonies (both before and after they enter
the program) smile
39 Reside in the UEZ or AEDA
9 Companies
from UEZ or AEDA
49 worked temp or full time in 2009
25
full time placements
24 temporary assignments
14 currently
working full time
2 received promotions
6 in school
6 in jail
2 dead
52 are ready to be
placed with no positions available (includes those needing better jobs)
243 currently on
the waiting list to enter our next training sessions
This funding has helped Project Impact
and Men of Scars make their dreams come true NOW, although it may also lead to the very same type of sacrifices MLK had to
make to fulfill his dream. The die has been cast, the faith is sure and the commitment has been made by more than my
wife, Perl, and I. It has also been made by some exceptional men and women such as James Summers, Ray Turner, Dave Laakso,
Linda Hopkins, Shane Peters, Yasmeen Peters, Dorothy Harris, Fred Blake, Steve Kennedy, Michael Poole, Javier Aguilar, Darrell
Shannon, Perry Watson, Angie Jackson, Jane Miller, Joe Tillman, and Sister Judy Elifritz, along with many others, including
all the participants in Project Impact. With the exception of the names Perry Watson and James Summers, most of you
have never heard of the people I just named, because they are just ordinary people to you, but they are special to me.
When I think of some of the people who have previously been keynote speakers at this breakfast, I am
humbled and honored to stand before you. If we were to consider credentials, degrees and honorariums, I really do not
consider myself worthy to stand here before you, but when we consider Christ, crime, compassion and care for our city and
community, especially the community in the ‘the hood,' I qualify. And, when it comes to celebrating the life and
dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I feel it; and I hope that we all can begin to feel the dream even more NOW. Now
that we have an African American as president of the United States of America.
That is the end
of my Introduction: The first 20 minutes.
Now the sermon - 2 minutes: 3 words. I LOVE YOU.
If that is true, and if I do it, and if I can get you to do it, we will properly solve the problems of not only our families,
our communities, cities, states, and nation, but even the WORLD. The greatest of all the Commandments is ‘Love
God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.' 2nd is ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,' and 3rd
‘Love your enemy.'
Five of the most effective tools we have available for Project Impact's
training programs are: Love, Time, Relationship Training, Stipends, and, a Job. I believe, if these are implemented
effectively, we can eliminate most of the poverty, drug abuse, violence and crime in our community. We can truly be
repairers of the breach and restorers of the streets. We believe in personal responsibility for everyone who is mentally
and emotionally capable, but situations and silly systems also bear responsibility when they cause people to live in survival
mode. If I put my hand over your nose and mouth and cut off your supply of oxygen for 3 or 4 minutes, the most important
thing in the world will become oxygen, and you will get it any way you can. It is not an excuse, or even justification for
violence or destructive action, but, when necessary, whatever. Economic and spiritual transformation is a major part
of Project Impact's vision, mission, and goal.
Levels of sensitivity are important if communication
is going to work - Win/Win solutions. Is what should be the goal. We commemorate MLK's death not because he died,
but because of the way he died. We celebrate MLK's life not because he lived but because of the way he lived.
Conversation on Race, The tremendous cost of racism to America is unbelievable. The education gap cost
and economic gap cost. Harry Reid's and Bill Clinton's comments about race are typical, and are not processed with the
intent of resolving anything, but only with side-stepping and a ‘sweeping under the rug' mentality. Conversations
on race will not solve the problems in America because race is not the problem. Deeds of the Flesh are the problem,
and Fruit of the Spirit is the answer.
Trent Lott, Harry Reid, Bill Clinton, Michael Steele, Barack
Obama, the Media, and Conversations on Race. Everyone is saying that America needs to have a serious conversation on
race.
My question is: "Why?" Why should we have a conversation on race? Race is
not the problem. What we should have is a conversation on is the real problems. Love and Hate. Need and
Greed. The real problems are Love and Hate, Need and Greed! There are enough resources in America to feed the
hungry, to clothe the naked, to eliminate poverty, to heal the sick.
I have a question for the
men here today; just raise your hand if the answer is ‘Yes.'
The woman and the feet washing.
Although I plan to talk about MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, I want to read something from
his "I've Been to the Mountain Top" speech. MLK said, in his "I've been to Mountain Top speech,"
"I can remember; I can remember when Negroes were just going around as Ralph has said, so often, scratching where
they didn't itch, and laughing when they were not tickled. But that day is all over. We mean business now, and we are
determined to gain our rightful place in God's world." He also said, "...let us keep the issues where they
are: the issue is injustice."
MLK said, "I still have a dream. It
is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the
true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
A
dream can be just that and that alone. A dream only!
But a dream can also be a recollection or
remembrance of the past, if it is good it can bring joy, if it bad is can be a nightmare or even a daymare (if you are day
dreaming).
A dream can be a vision of the future, a vision of hope.
A dream can
be a vision of faith - the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of thing not seen with the natural eye, but seen
in the mind, heart, soul and spirit.
A dream can be a vision in which you have so much confidence and
faith that you are willing to give everything you have for it, even your own life.
Martin Luther
King, Jr. had that kind of dream and he gave his life for it.
If The Dream is now it is still a dream.
Hope that is seen is no longer hope, for why does one hope for what he sees come to pass. Barack Obama is President
NOW. It is not a dream any more for me. It is now, a dream that came true. And it makes me wanta Holla.
To many of us, a gigantic part of the dream is NOW. It is the reality of Barack Obama being the
President of the United States of America. Yet, I know that some Americans think that that dream is a nightmare for
them. Not only because of his politics and ideology, but also because of the color of his skin. King said, "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." I know that King assumed that to be judged by the content of
your character is better than being judged by the color of your skin. But, neither the color of your skin nor the content
of your character will make a difference, if the content of the character of the one doing the judging is flawed. If
the judge has a log in his own eye how can he see clearly to remove the spec from his brother's eye?
One
would expect a priest and the Levite to have superior content of character, but MLK tells the story a little different than
the Bible. The man who had been left for dead on the Jericho road thought he was going to be rescued by those who had
content of character by way of position. Instead, he was left for dead by both. They were probably concerned what
would happen to them if they stopped to help. Then, along came the Samaritan Ghettoite, believed to have no content
of character, who was not concerned about himself, but about the traveler...
The Dream is NOW could
mean - the dream is real or has become a reality and is no longer just a dream;
It could mean
the Dream is being fulfilled NOW;
It could mean NOW is the time to fulfill the dream;
It
could mean the dream has been fulfilled NOW;
There are at least two important realities that have a
major influence on how we will perceive the dream as being now or later, now or never. Whether we will see the dream
as past, present, or future may depend on whether:
We are a part of The Needy or
We
are a part of The Greedy
The real issue is about NOW. Let us keep the issues where they are. The
issue is injustice
Because my time is so limited, I am going to say just a few more things that I cannot
elaborate on, not because I can't or don't want to elaborate, but because of the limitation on time this morning. So
when, not if, I say something that bothers you so much you just have to say something (like the Representative did to Obama
during his State of the Union address), go ahead and just shout it out. I don't mind as long as it is decent and polite.
In the black church it's proper to say Amen or Aman, or just say "Well!" if you are not in total agreement with
what the preacher is saying.
Steven Covey might call Martin Luther King Jr., a compass, meaning,
"To value oneself and, at the same, subordinate oneself to higher purposes and principles is the paradoxical
essence of highest humanity, and is the foundation of effective leadership." Covey, in his Principle Centered Leadership
book says "Correct principles are like compasses: they are always pointing the way."
A
compass will always point the TRUE RIGHT WAY, unless it is broken. A properly functioning compass will always point
out the right direction regardless of your thinking, feelings, or your actions.
I want to be
proactive and begin with the end in mind, and put first things first, seek first to understand then to be understood.
I always want a win/win solution. How many of you have read, or gone to a seminar, or taken a class on Steven
Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People?
Most successful, and many smart people agree with
most of what Steven Covey teaches and says in his book on the 7 Habits, as well as his book on Principle Centered Leadership.
I probably agree with 95% or more of it. I teach it to some of the most non-principled, un-centered knuckle-heads in
the City of South Bend. Some sitting right there (point) and they, even, agree with it. They don't do it, but
they agree that Covey is straight up, on the mark, cool, got it right.
I even believe that Martin Luther
King Jr., would have found little fault with Covey's Principle Centered Leadership. Martin Luther King Jr. even
talked about Principle Centered Leadership in his "I Have a Dream Speech," when he said,
"I
still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will
rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.
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."
I have a dream today. I dream
of the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of
liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring".
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true.
Jesus said, and you have heard it
said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say to you, love your enemy. Love is the only lasting
way to end conflict and wars.
War in self (Love thy neighbor as thyself)
War
in family
War in the hood and the neighborhood
War in community and the city
War in the state and the nation
War in religion, the church, the synagogue, mosque,
temple and the streets
War in politics, philosophy, psychology, theology and sociology
War
between the races and sexes, the rich and the poor, the needy and greedy
Love is the only lasting way
to end wars.
The Dream is NOW.
Now is a measure, or an element of time:
The dentition of Now is Now
Now is not a year from - Now
Now is not a month from
- Now
Now is not a week or a day from - Now
Now is not an hour or even a minute
from - Now
Barack Obama is President of the United States of America -NOW! This part of MLK's
dream is true NOW! TODAY; and with God's favor, this part of the dream will still be true tomorrow and at least for
the next 3 years.
Martin Luther King Jr., "I have a dream" speech
August
28, 1963 - Washington, D.C.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce
urgency of now.
This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing
drug of gradualism. When MLK was asked by an NBC reporter in Montgomery Alabama, if he believed in gradualism when it came
to integration, MLK said gradualism is an excuse for excape-ism, and excape-ism is an excuse for Do-nothingism
and Do-nothingism is an excuse for Stand-Stillism. He said, "No I do not believe in gradualism when it comes to
justice, righteousness and wrongness." In other words: Do what is right. Right NOW.
Spiritually,
you can never be right haten on people. You can not be a hater of any people and truly love God at the same time.
Jesus said, "If you hate your brother you are a murderer."
I say, not King, but I say if
the dream is now, then stop haten on people. (excuse my ebonics - I say haten instead of hating because it just don't work
for me) Stop haten on people. It don't matter whether we are Jews or gentiles, protestant or catholic, Christian or
Muslim, male or female, gay or straight, rich or poor, incarcerated or free, black or white, - haten ain't right. And
- stop haten on MY president.
If the dream is now, then we need Notre Dame, the Chamber of Commerce,
Project Future, big time corporate developers and the City of South Bend to establish a different kind of Technology, Innovation
and Ignition Park to research and eliminate poverty, and to invest 100 Million dollars in super smart people to create and
innovate economic development in the inner city that actually creates wealth for the people in the inner city community.
If the dream is now, then do this now
Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.
Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of discrimination (and stagnation) to the sunlit
path of racial justice
Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to
the solid rock of brotherhood.
Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children
Martin Luther said, "There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you
be satisfied?"" Martin said, "We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable
horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot
gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's
basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped
of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". (For the rich only). We
cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi (Florida) (and ex-felons) cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes
he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down
like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
If it is just talk (rhetoric and not reality),
and if that is what it always will be, then let me know as soon as possible so I can stop wasting my time.
If
it has been said already, and could have been done already, why isn't it done, by NOW?
As Nike
would say, JUST DO IT, or
AS MICHAEL JACKSON WOULD SAY, JUST BEAT IT, or
AS PERL
, MY WIFE WOULD SAY, JUST FORGET IT
Talk is cheap
Hard work is hard
Things
of value are valuable
You can't ride a man's back unless he is bent over
Straighten
up if you don't want decent and good people to ride your back
Ignore fools and stay away from them
Don't cast your pearls before swine, or give that which is holy to the dogs
Recognize
haters and avoid them
Worthless conversation can be more dangerous than just worthless
The
Dream is Now. Why is the dream now? Why was the dream not now, but last year on the 19th annual anniversary
of our Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration?
The American Dream became a wonderful reality for 10's
of millions of people in America, but it has also become a nightmare for millions of others.
What dream is Now?
Which dream is Now?
Whose dream is Now?
It is time that the dream is now for all God's children
Red, yellow, black, brown
and white people
Jews and gentiles
Protestants and Catholics
Slaves
and free
Incarcerated and liberated
Rich and poor
Uptown
and downtown
In the suburbs and in the hood
Educated and uneducated
Martin
Luther King Jr. said "I have a dream."
It was his dream for America
His
dream for his people and
His dream for all people
His dream was not just
a dream for black people, but for all people. His vision was to see the nightmare of segregation, prejudice, hatred,
discrimination, racism, classism, sexism and all other kinds of oppressive ‘isms' ended, not only in America but around
the world. He spent and gave his life in the hope of helping the dream come true for all men, women and children.
His dream also became my dream and became the dream of many, many good people not only in America but around
the world. His dream is a wonderful dream for America, and for the world. If the Dream is NOW, is it still a dream?
Hope that is seen is no longer hope, for why does one hope for what he sees come to pass. Barack Obama is President
now. It is not a dream any more for me. It is now a dream that came true. Makes me wanta Holla!
God bless you.
