Victoria03 april 2008 – 23:43

Is the civil rights movement, which Martin Luther King started, still as active as it was during the sixties?

Dr. Carson: "No. Many of the civil right reform, the legislation, happened during the 1960s. But the way that I look at Martin Luther King is that his goals were much broader than just simple civil rights. I refer to the African-American Freedom Struggle.
After the civil rights reform Martin Luther King remained in struggle. He didn’t finish. That’s why he was in Memphis working on behalf of sanitation workers, the garbage workers in 1968."

Would Martin Luther King be happy living in the U.S. today?

Dr. Carson: "I think he would be happy to see the civil rights process, but he would be very disturbed by other goals he fought for, such as the fight against poverty. The situation between rich and poor is worse in the United States than it was when he was alive."

If Martin Luther King had lived longer, could he have become the first Afro-American president of the United State?

Dr. Carson: "No, he was a religious leader first of all. We sometimes have elected religious presidents but we never really elected a reverend as president. In the US there is a separation between Church and State."

Do you think the U.S.A. is ready for an Afro-American president?

Dr. Carson: "Yes, I think it will happen. I don’t know if it will be next year, with Obama. I think he has a very good chance. But right now he’s behind Hillary Clinton. So we will either have the first woman or we will have the first Afro-American if the Democrats win next year." [Please note that this interview took place in November 2007].

Through songs like “I got a dream”, from the hiphop group Common, also the title song of the movie “Freedom writers”, the legacy of Martin Luther King is kept alive. Do you think their way of interpreting Martin Luther King’s message is similar?

Dr. Carson: "Similar I think, yes. I think he would understand that the struggle for freedom never ends. There’s a freedom song that we used to sing and it is “Freedom is a constant struggle”. So it does call upon the youngsters to do the same."

You’ve written both about Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Which of them has had the most influence on American society?

Dr. Carson: "I think that Martin Luther King had more influence because his movement was more politically effective. Malcolm X never succeeded, his influence was more psychological than cultural but not so much political. I think as a political leader he remained within in the boundaries of the Nation of Islam and under Elijah Muhammed. They avoided politics. For example, Elijah Muhammed forbade members of the Nation of Islam for even taking part in politics, in voting or protesting."

So he was limited?

Dr. Carson: "Yes, but once he left the Nation of Islam and started his own organisation he became much more political, but at that time people did not follow him. Most of his colleagues in the Nation of Islam remained. For example, Muhammed Ali refused to follow Malcolm X, even Malcolm’s brothers did not follow him. I think in general, Black Nationalism, the part of it that was strongest in the 1960s was the cultural nationalism. Political nationalism did not succeed."

Could you say in one sentence what Martin Luther King means to you?

Dr. Carson: "He greatly inspired my life. I would not be doing what I am doing now if it were not for the inspiration of Martin Luther King."

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/