is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. We are grateful to join with others in the fight against racism,
and to seek solutions based on principles of Aesthetic Realism, the education founded by philosopher Eli Siegel.*
Poetry, Martin Luther King, & What Humanity Hopes For
Courtesy of the Mississippi Link
As we continue to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we report on a recently published article honoring the Federal holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King. This article begins with a poem, "Something Else Should Die," written in 1968 just hours after reports of the murder of Martin Luther King in Memphis. With simplicity and power, Eli Siegel relates Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln, men born a century apart, both tragically killed for opposing racism, the brutality of slavery, and economic exploitation.
Something Else Should Die
A poem with rhymes
By Eli Siegel
In April 1865
Abraham Lincoln died.
In April 1968
Martin Luther King Jr. died.
Their purpose was to have
us say, some day:
Injustice died.
Mr. Siegel's great poem shows these men, though separated by time, as united in their purpose to have justice prevail.
Our Mission
We are glad to update you on our work to preserve the history of courageous individuals who have fought to end racism in this country, joining them proudly in that fight.
That work is informed by the principles of Aesthetic Realism, the education founded by the poet and critic Eli Siegel. The cause of racism, he explained, is contempt--the addition to self through the lessening of what is not ourselves. Aesthetic Realism is the education that can have people feel that the greatest victory is in respecting other people, in seeing their feelings as real and deep as our own.
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Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana
Maritime Captain Allan Michael,
civil rights pioneer, dedicated to ending racism.
Photo credit: David M. Bernstein
I want people to know about Allan Michael (1956-2020), who broke new ground as one of the earliest maritime captains of color in New York Harbor, and as the first black captain at New York Circle Line Sightseeing Yachts, in a career spanning 37 years. In one of the busiest port cities in the U. S., as he captained boats with 600 passengers at a time, he never had an accident. And on that fateful day—September 11, 2001—Captain Michael was among the brave first responders, and used his Circle Line boat from morning to night, to ferry hundreds of terrified people from Ground Zero to safety in New Jersey. His bravery earned him a proclamation of gratitude from the mayor of NYC.
In 2017, he gave the Keynote Speech for the annual Black History Month scholarship dinner of the Organization of Black Maritime Graduates (OBMG), saying:
“It is hard to be black in this country and feel that justice is going to come your way, because black people have endured horrific injustice for years, from slavery to racial profiling. This has made for tremendous anger in our nation.
“It was through the thought of Eli Siegel, a white man, that I was able to understand the deepest things in myself; and this points to a fundamental hope for all races. In beautiful prose, Mr. Siegel stated: ‘It will be found that black and white man have the same goodnesses, the same temptations, and can be criticized in the same way. The skin may be different, but the aorta is quite the same.’ Humanity will thank him as I do for teaching in Aesthetic Realism how all people can honestly see each other with depth, kindness, and respect.”
Read the complete article here.