Question

The Other America, Martin Luther King Sunday, March 10, 1968

Dr. King delivered this speech, "The Other America," for the Local 1199 Salute to Freedom program. He acknowledged that progress had been made in civil rights, but warned that the “evils” of racism, poverty, and the Vietnam War endangered further gains for black Americans.

Many things were gained as a result of these years of struggle. In 1964 the Civil Rights Bill came into being after the Birmingham movement which did a great deal to subpoena the conscience of a large segment of the nation to appear before the judgment seat of morality on the whole question of Civil Rights. After the Selma movement in 1965 we were able to get a Voting Rights Bill. And all of these things represented strides.

But we must see that the struggle today is much more difficult. It's more difficult today because we are struggling now for genuine equality. It's much easier to integrate a lunch counter than it is to guarantee a livable income and a good solid job. It's much easier to guarantee the right to vote than it is to guarantee the right to live in sanitary, decent housing conditions. It is much easier to integrate a public park than it is to make genuine, quality, integrated education a reality


Many Americans respect Martin Luther King Jr for his I have a Dream Speech. In what way does the excerpt from The Other America compare to the memory people have of MLK?

Answer 1

The excerpt compares the memory people have of MLK by stating that what had been gained so far was the result of a long struggle for basic equality,but there was an "other America" that was a threat for the civil rights movement and at this stage the struggle was for genuine equality,to guarantee the effective practice of all the rights discussed so far.