Yes, it took LBJ’s arm-twisting political talents to get the Civil Rights Act passed. Yes, it also took MLK’s tireless, dedicated leadership and oratorical skills to focus the nation’s attention on the heinous injustice of segregation.

That being said, Hillary and the other pundits and political operatives, have missed the point.

Here in America, we love the Great Man (and the occasional Great Woman.) Because of our persistent belief in individualism, we think that it is the Great Ones who make history. This belief keeps people stuck in the status quo, complacent, cynical, and inactive. It keeps them stuck in what Rabbi Michael Lerner of Tikkun calls surplus powerlessness: people think they have less power than they actually do have. They think they can’t make history because they aren’t “great.”

Actually, people are great. They are the real movers and shakers.

The successful battle for civil rights was really fought by the people themselves, who organized, took to the streets and churches, taught themselves how to read at late age so they could pass Voter’s Tests, endured water hoses, bully clubs, taunts, arrest and jail. It was the Nashville sit-ins, the Freedom Riders, and finally, the police induced attacks on the Pettus Bridge in Selma that was the nail in the coffin of the old order. It was the dedication, vision and persistence of these courageous people that forced Americans to open up their hearts and come down on the side of justice.

Rosa Parks was a brave woman, but Rosa Parks did not just decide to go to the back of the bus on her own. She attended the Highlander School in East Tennessee where she was trained in the tactics of non-violence. She was part of an active civil rights community.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great leader who inspired and moved people to action and who helped the American people connect with their higher angels. But he derived his power from the 200,000 people who joined him at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC on August 28, 1963 where he made his historic I Have A Dream speech. If he had shown up with just a few hundred people on that day, it is unlikely that LBJ would have invited him to the White House to broker the deal that finally resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Photos from the 1963 March on Washington

All progressive individuals and organizations are urged to attend. Details and a registration form are at http://www.tennesseeallianceforprogress.org/.

There are no fees for the meeting, however a $10 donation is requested to cover the cost of the barbeque lunch. Old time music will also be provided for your listening pleasure.

Democracy for Tennessee will be conducting a quickie workshop of How To Canvass around 2 pm, and participants will have an opportunity to go door to door for Herman Lawson who is running for school board in Sumner County.

This cutting-edge event melding art and activism will take place at Futureman’s studio in Bellevue.

It will consists of a talk by Futureman about the Black Mozart, a 18th century genius whom history has overlooked, followed by a multi-media performance of Futureman’s original music and a conversation circle facilitated by Michele Flynn.

Tickets are $30. Reservations are required. Directions will be sent to you when we receive your registration. Please go to http://www.rondiane.org to hear the music, for more information and to register.