“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere…The Negro cannot win
if he is willing to sacrifice the lives of his children for personal comfort and
safety.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
June 2006
AN OPEN LETTER TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERS:
This is an open letter to appeal to all people who respect the work, life and
teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. More specifically, it is a wake-up call
to the African American community. As a mature, Black, female living in
America, my heart weeps every time I hear or see stories about our youth cut
down in acts of senseless violence. Time after time, I have asked the question,
HOW CAN THE DREAM SURVIVE IF WE MURDER THE CHILDREN?
In America, we have unleashed a culture of death, and our children are dying.
Every day, there are stories across our land of children committing violent acts
against themselves, other children and adults. Because we have committed over 40
million legal murders in our recent history, our children can’t discern between
what is good, what is legal and what is right.
Please carefully consider the missions of two of our most prominent Civil Rights
organizations, the SCLC and the NAACP, and the words of a noted African-American
leader.
National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People Mission Statement:
“To ensure the political, educational, social and
economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and
racial discrimination.”
Southern Christian Leadership Conference: “We are recommitting
ourselves to advocating and teaching the principles of nonviolence taught by Dr.
King… to provide people with viable alternatives to solving their problems
without resorting to violence.”
Tavis Smiley: “The Covenant with
Black America is a national plan of action to address the primary concerns of
African Americans today”.
Here, we nobly speak of the quality of rights for
all persons, action plans and non-violent solutions, while the rights of the
helpless and the pre-born are continually violated in often the most violent
acts imaginable. Indeed, in America, since 1973, over 40 million American
babies have been legally murdered. At least 13 million of these babies were
Black. Two of these babies were mine. Coupled with the blatant practice of
euthanasia, and the open assault on marriage and family, we have lost and
continue to lose millions of our children in this culture of death. Some may
argue that a woman has a right to chose what she does with her body. She does,
but where is the lawyer for the baby, who is like a helpless slave in the womb
of his/her mother?
This letter is an open appeal to all people of
good will, and today, especially to African-American leaders, to stop the
violence, to save the children, to restore the culture of life to America.
Please respond to the voices of the children!
Visit our website today, to sign up to make a difference. It’s
www.priestsforlife.org/africanamerican. We would love to meet with
you, to hear your heart on this vital issue. God bless you.
Yours for Life,
Dr. Alveda C. King, Pastoral
Associate
African American Outreach
