IN THIS EDITION
FOCUS: Kick addiction of racism with King’s prescription
COMMENTARY, Brack: Mind-numbing, time-wasting abortion bill on table again
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: SCIWAY
NEWS BRIEFS: State shifts to coronavirus mitigation
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
MYSTERY PHOTO: Empty field
CALENDAR: From MLK brunch to art display
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Protest is just fine. Violence as a means of protest is just wrong, 100 times over. It accomplishes nothing positive. It emboldens evil.
Here and across the country, racial injustice is splitting America, much like it did five centuries ago. This week, just like in 1968, Americans watched a rocket blast into space and saw cities burn following the grisly murder of an African American man.
Staff reports | Charleston-area residents will have multiple opportunities over the next week to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the region remembers his sacrifices and leadership in the days leading up to next week’s federal holiday.
The YMCA of Greater Charleston is coordinating most of the events, including these highlights:
MLK Ecumenical Service, 4 p.m. Jan. 19, Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, North Charleston. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the event, which will feature a keynote address by Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, presiding prelate of the Tenth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.
MLK Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Jan 21, Charleston Gaillard Center (tickets). The keynote speaker will be entrepreneur and philanthropist Sheila C. Johnson, founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, co-founder of the Black Entertainment Television (BET) network, producer of the critically acclaimed film “The Butler,” and the first African American woman to achieve a billion-dollar net worth.
IN THIS EDITION
TODAY’S FOCUS: Charleston, North Charleston to honor King over next week
COMMENTARY, Brack: Finish the job to make 4-year-old kindergarten statewide
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Charleston Gaillard Center
NEWS BRIEFS: General Assembly to reconvene Tuesday
FEEDBACK: Send us a letter
MYSTERY PHOTO: Rocky top
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: A history of our General Assembly
CALENDAR: Charleston Comedy Festival set for Jan. 15-18
By Elliott Brack, special to Charleston Currents | As we observe Martin Luther King Day, it’s fitting to review the King Philosophy. Dr. King viewed three evils, that of poverty, racism and militarism that he said formed a vicious cycle. He felt these were intertwined and were barriers for reaching his nirvana, what he called the “Beloved Community.”
Let’s look at his thoughts in this area, this taken from his view as recorded at The King Center in Atlanta and available on the Internet.
Fundamental tenets of Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence are described in his first book, Stride Toward Freedom. The six principles include: …
IN THIS ISSUE | Jan. 21, 2019
FOCUS: Remembering Dr. King and the 6 principles that guided his work
COMMENTARY, Brack: S.C.’s role in 2020 presidential process is big, really big
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Charleston RiverDogs
PHOTO ESSAY: Neglecting part of our history
GOOD NEWS: Food bank helps workers impacted by shutdown
FEEDBACK: Send us a good, snippy letter
MYSTERY PHOTO: It’s not a beach resort
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: Gov. Martin F. Ansel
CALENDAR: Parade, breakfast are highlights for MLK celebration
Staff reports | While area churches held services commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy on Sunday, community events and celebrations get started in earnest Thursday, Jan. 17, with the MLK Racial Equity Institute.
The nationally-recognized sessions will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 at the College of Charleston’s North Charleston campus, 3800 Paramount Drive, just off Interstate 526. Leaders and others who attend will work to understand institutional racism and will ““come away with dramatically changed worldviews,” according to YWCA Greater Charleston.
Click the headline above to learn about more events.
IN THIS ISSUE #11.10 | Jan. 714 2019
FOCUS: King Day events in Charleston to continue Jan. 17
COMMENTARY, Brack: New “Beach” read offers critical conservation, political insights
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
GOOD NEWS: Chamber offers six priority areas for state legislature
FEEDBACK: Send us a good, snippy letter
MYSTERY PHOTO: Maybe this one will be easier
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: Artist Jonathan Green
CALENDAR: Charleston Jazz Festival starts Jan. 24
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | A teenager almost started to cry Jan. 14 as she read a passage from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Her white peers, normally boisterous, were markedly subdued as they witnessed stark museum displays of what life was like for black Southerners during civil rights struggles.
One thing was clear for more than two dozen Charleston youths on a church trip to learn about the South’s special kind of past apartheid: They had no real understanding about what it was like to live in the Jim Crow South of 60 years ago. They didn’t learn it from textbooks and lessons in school. They had no real concept of the flashes of vitriol, hate and anger that rocked many Southern communities as they wrestled with civil rights and big cultural changes following World War II.
By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | Did you know that Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was originally titled, “Normalcy, Never Again.”? In fact, the first drafts of his speech never included the phrase “I have a dream”?
Turns out the entire “I have a dream” part of the speech was improvised. That’s right…improvised in front of 200,000 people when a supporter yelled out: “Tell them about the dream, Martin!”
He was inspired in that moment and just shared with them what he’d be dreaming about for his generation and generations yet to come. It was a beautiful demonstration of how powerful a dream can be.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina! (2019) by editor and publisher Andy Brack offers incisive commentaries on the American South, politics, the common good and interesting South Carolina leaders. Available exclusively for Kindle for $7.99. A paperback version will be ready soon. Learn more.
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