Taylor Branch: "Myth and Miracles from the King Years" #1

Taylor Branch

“Myth and Miracles from the King Years”

            On Wednesday September 25^th, the 2013 Baird Pulitzer Prize Lecture brought in author Taylor Branch to discuss his research and connect it to current day concepts. Mr. Branch did the majority of his work on the Civil Rights Movement and the action of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior during this time.

            He began with a quick overview of a turning point in the movement as a whole. In May 1963, the entire movement was on the verge of failure, until some unlikely supporters stepped up to the plate. Children, with a wide range of ages, marched and endured dogs and hoses being turned on them. This broke the emotional barrier between the public and the movement and awakened citizenship within the country. Looking back, I honestly don’t ever remember learning about this event in school, which makes me question what we as a country gloss over and how we handle similar situations. We should be addressing everything that happens, regardless if it puts someone or a group of people in a poor light.

            The main point of the talk was that we are still trying to define what democracy is and what citizenship truly means. We are still at a gridlock since democracy is a fragile and moral challenge. Since we all have a history, Branch argued that we all own a piece of the world and we have to take responsibility for what happens. This is such a big picture statement, and I am not sure as college students we fully understand the magnitude of what this is implying. If we can even try to implement half of what this claim says, I think, like in the Civil Rights Movement, young adults can make a noticeable difference in the world.

            Branch gave three examples of things that both Republicans and Democrats agree on. The first, lotteries, is something that has only been around since 1964. Republicans think lotteries are better than taxes, while Democrats view them as an avenue to get money for schools. Regardless, Branch reasoned the lottery is deceptive, addictive and an inefficient way to get funds. The second concept was college sports and the amateur status of these athletes. Democrats think students should be focused on getting an education, but the Republicans think it is the fair way to handle the situation, since they are part of a franchise system. Branch had written a piece on this topic, and he doesn’t believe that student athletes have any representation or equal rights. I have never thought of this as being an issue, but since I now know people who are college level athletes, I am going to bring it up with them and attempt to understand their side of the issue. The last issue is creating safe districts by gerrymandering. I agree with Branch’s idea to have computers draw better districts that will be fair and have a proper influence. This doesn’t allow individuals to be equally represented, which is a flaw in our system.

            Branch continued with his explanation of how King believed in the phrase “equal souls, equal votes.” King believed there were votes everywhere. People who were strong and confronted those who tried to oppress them set the landmarks for the ones who would follow them. Not only in regards to race, this civil rights movement allowed other groups progress, whether they were grouped by race, gender, or ethnicity. These solutions came from broad engagement and a strong commitment to rights. If these people had not stepped forward and faced down those who fought to bring them down, our country would be a far cry from a democracy. It is our duty, Branch argued, to find something that makes one uncomfortable, with a different group of people than our usual crowd, and just do it. We have to find the line that divides us and make the conscious effort to cross it. As we can learn from our past, leaving our comfort zones can result in some monumental changes.

            This overall prompt was extremely relevant to Elon and our students. We have been pushing for more diversity on campus, and this just highlighted a way we can make strides toward our goal. Also, with the recent offensive words scribbled on some whiteboards, this lecture served as a needed reminder than we should all have the same respect and rights, regardless of what group we identify with or what we feel defines us as a person. Going into the lecture, I had no idea that the discussion would even be applicable to our current situation on campus. It was interesting to hear how even in today’s world, we can still be learning from the actions of some brave children, who knew that they had to power to make a change in the world.