1964: MLK’s speech at ASU
Religious Witness for Human Dignity
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Arizona for a speaking engagement in June of 1964. It was his only public appearance in the state. The speech was arranged by the Maricopa County Chapter of the NAACP.
At the time of the speech, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was held up in the U.S. Senate. A month later, the bill cleared the Senate and was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.
Here’s a transcript of the speech; here’s an audio link to the speech. The audiotapes were discovered in 2013 when someone randomly saw them on the shelf of a thrift store.
Below is an outline of Dr. King’s speech at Arizona State University:
“Through our scientific and technological genius, we have made of this world a neighborhood. And now, through our moral and ethical commitment, we must make of it a brotherhood.”
In the first segment of his speech, King heralded the coming of a “new order” and spoke about the interconnectedness of all of humanity. He talked about how jet planes have made the world smaller than ever, and that extreme poverty – wherever it is – should be a concern of all humans.
All I’m saying is simply this: that all life is interrelated … and whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly; and for some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure.
“We are challenged to get rid of the notion, once and for all, that there are superior and inferior races.”
In the second segment of his speech, King sequentially recapped and dismantled racist arguments, old and new.
… it is a tortuous logic to use the tragic results of segregation, as an argument for the continuation of it …
King encouraged his followers to strive for “excellence in our various fields of endeavor” despite having been on the “oppressive end of the old order.”
Now it’s very difficult because we have a serious dilemma. As Ralph Abernathy’s just said: We are the victims of 344 years of slavery and segregation. And now the forces of history are saying that we must be as productive and as resourceful and as responsible as the individuals who have not known such oppression. This is our dilemma. And so it means that we’re going to have to work hard.
In concluding this segment, King’s rhetorical skills flourish in a rising crescendo of lyrical notes of inspiration, the audience responding in turn with a rising crescendo of applause and cheers.
“Somewhere we must come to see that time is neutral. It can be used either constructively or destructively.”
King transitioned to talking about concrete steps for further action. He addressed one of the most consistent criticisms of the Civil Rights Movement during this time: That it was demanding too much too soon, that everyone needed to calm down rather than agitate for immediate change.
And I am convinced as I stand before you tonight, that the forces of ill will in our nation have used time much more effectively than the forces of good will … And it may well be that we will have to repentant this generation, not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people who would bomb a church in Birmingham, Alabama, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people who sit around and say, “Wait on time.”
…. And so we must recognize urgency of the moment … Now is the time to get rid of segregation and discrimination in our nation. Now is the time to make democracy a reality, now is the time to solve this problem.
“Now the other myth that we hear a great deal about, is that you really can’t solve this problem that we face through legislation.”
King then argued that, although racism ultimately needs to be extinguished culturally and within people’s hearts, it is imperative to pass and enforce laws to outlaw racial discrimination and to punish racially-motivated violence.
On the Civil Rights Bill:
That is a debate taking place right now, in the senate, and it is more than a legitimate debate. It is bogged down now into an actual filibuster and this is tragic for the nation. It is tragic for the cause of justice, and for democracy. This bill must pass and it must pass soon, if our nation is to maintain its health. I think one of the most urgent issues facing America now is to get this Civil Rights Bill through.
King paid homage to the late JFK’s commitment to such legislation, referencing how Kennedy drew a connection between the scriptures, the Constitution, and the Golden Rule in advocating for the Civil Rights Bill.
“If this problem is to be solved, there must be a sort of divine discontent.”
Extrapolating on the methods of non-violence in seeking political goals, King called for unity in fighting for racial equality – for the moral and political health of the nation. Non-violence has the moral power to confuse and expose the opponents of integration.
And may I say to you tonight my friends, that this problem that we face is not merely a sectional problem, no section of our country can boast of clean hands in the area of brotherhood.
“And so there may well be need in our world for a new organization: The International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment”
King struck a playful note, here, reviewing his original points about the interconnectedness of humanity.
He cited “creative maladjusted” types of human history: The prophet Amos; Abraham Lincoln who said the nation cannot survive half slave and half free; Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence; and God who said, “Love your enemies.”
King wants to be well-adjusted psychologically, but maladjusted to injustices in society, and maladjusted to the forces of war that could potentially wipe humanity off the face of the Earth.
And through such maladjustment, we will be able to emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight, of man’s inhumanity to man, into the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice.
“And may I say to you my friends, as I come to my conclusion: That I still have faith in America.”
Before the victory for brotherhood is won, some more may get scarred up a bit. But we shall overcome. Before the victory is won, some more will be called bad names. Some more will be called bad names, some will be called communists and reds, simply because they believe in the brotherhood of man. But we shall overcome. Before the victory’s won, some more will be thrown into jail, but we shall overcome. Before the victory’s won, some more like Medgar Evers may have to face physical death. But if physical death is the price that some must pay to free their children from a permanent psychological death, then nothing can be more redemptive. We shall overcome.