Letters: ‘I Have a Dream,’ Then and Now

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In "The Ideas Behind the March" (column, Aug. 27), David Brooks punctures a myth about nonviolent resistance used by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin that was on display in the historic 1963 civil rights March on Washington, at which Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.

Nonviolent resistance was not passive and required a great deal of practiced discipline reinforced by a mass movement. Although many dismissed it as "turning the other cheek," even cowardly, it should be seen as an expression of manhood built on the power of self-respect and self-control, behavior more difficult to engage in than aggression and violence.

Dr. King and his allies used nonviolent resistance not only in pursuit of legal equality but also to eliminate economic inequality through redistributive policies that would close the gap between rich and poor, a goal that remains unfulfilled.

STEVEN F. LAWSON
Metuchen, N.J., Aug. 27, 2013

The writer is professor emeritus of history at Rutgers University.

To the Editor:

David Brooks is right about the origins of the March on Washington in 1963 and the pivotal roles played by A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, but it would have been helpful to note the influence of Mohandas K. Gandhi.

It was Mr. Rustin who was most responsible for promoting the Gandhian philosophy in the civil rights movement. And although the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. first heard of Gandhi's ideas in 1950, it was not until Mr. Rustin became a trusted adviser that he began to realize the importance of nonviolent protest as the best strategy to end segregation.

HERB BOYD
New York, Aug. 27, 2013

The writer is an adjunct professor of black studies at City College, CUNY, and the author of "Civil Rights, Yesterday and Today."

To the Editor:

In assessing the success of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolence movement, David Brooks is a tad idealistic. He doesn't mention that the concurrent black fringe movements' advocacy of violence ("by any means necessary") made Dr. King look moderate and acceptable.

Without those groups, he himself would have looked radical. Indeed, in the "Letter From Birmingham Jail," he in effect said, Either negotiate with me or fight with the radicals.

MANFRED WEIDHORN
Fair Lawn, N.J., Aug. 28, 2013

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