Obama’s Speech: A More Perfect Union

Barack Obama spoke this morning in Philadelphia, PA at Constitution Center, on matters race and of the fundamental path by which America can work together to pursue a better future.

Regardless of your politics the insight and resolve Barack Obama shows in this speech deserve attention and reflection by all. The issue of race and the role it plays in achieving a just society still weighs heavily on the American people in our relationships and our politics.

Listen to Obama call out and name these issues and their root causes. In issues of race and inequality in America — what does the LORD require?.

 

Here is a video of the full speech and the entire transcript is copied below:

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January 21st is Martin Luther King Jr. Day

To honor Dr. King today an excerpt from his speech “The Drum Major Instinct” is presented here for your reflection:

 

Also view Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech” with full transcript here.

As an added devotional, one of the most moving pieces from Dr. King’s writing, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” has been coped below…

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The Jena 6 and “stealth” racism in the U.S.

What do three nooses hung from a tree in response to a black student sitting in its “whites only” shade say about racism in America? Volumes. Today over 20,000 people from all 50 states marched on Jena, LA. This is an issue that everyone needs be familiar with.

The incident one year ago and the events following came to boiling point as six black students found themselves facing life in prison for beating a white student in retaliation. Now the trials begin, lines are being drawn, movements are forming all over the web and in towns across the country, and tensions are high in Jena, LA as we once again must struggle with our shared history of racism in America.

The situation is much more layered and complex than you might garner from the nightly news. Rather that trying to recap all the details here it would be best to review the growing Wikipedia article on the Jena 6 here.

Were the nooses merely a “tasteless prank?’ Was the beating nothing more than a “school yard fight?” Does this prove racism and bias in the justice system is still alive and strong in the US?

Of course the media is weighing in on every channel. Here are a couple of clips to bring you up to speed.

A”Free the Jena 6″ campaign is building support online, you can learn more and sign their petition here.

When three nooses are hung from a tree — what does the LORD require?

Erasing Hate Tour 2007

Erasing Hate is a lecture-discussion series in February-March 2007 in cities around the US. It’s about what divides us - race, religion, ethnicity and even morality. The purpose of Erasing Hate is to provide a place in which the intersections of faith and culture can be explored…
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It is Martin Luther King day.

In honor of Dr. King, text and video of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech are posted here along with a couple of book resources everyone should look into.

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If you have any insight beyond what you can share by merely commenting on a post please send your article idea to contact@thejustlife.org. Challenge and inspire us towards daily practical responses to God’s heart for justice.