MLK lives

[Corbell Mark IV]

Here a thought. If King had moved to being more active in the anti-war movement, and was seen to had a major impact, I could see some people blame him for losing Vietnam.

Spoiler alertld X-files

(Got this from the X-files, supposedly this is the reason that the Smoking Man killed MLK)

 

[usertron2020]

I don't see why. MLK was a self-proclaimed democratic socialist by 1968 IIRC, so forget about any electoral career.

Nixon victory: Bussing will arouse King's ire, he may accuse Nixon of pandering to the Dixiecrats if bussing occurs much as per OTL.

Bussing was an issue that was redhot in the 70's. If Nixon goes forward with it as a deliberate decision to embrace the Southern Strategy and toss out the Black vote? MLK will simply accelerate the process, both ways.

 

[usertron2020]

Here a thought. If King had moved to being more active in the anti-war movement, and was seen to had a major impact, I could see some people blame him for losing Vietnam.

Spoiler alertld X-files

(Got this from the X-files, supposedly this is the reason that the Smoking Man killed MLK)

God knows there are more than enough people looking for excuses to explain why we lost an imperialist war (France's) being fought as a Cold War police action. Supremely corrupt ARVN and government? No knowledge on how to fight a counter-insurgency war? In a triple-canopy jungle? An incompetent leadership in the DoD? War Profiteers? A war with no end in sight, with a government promising "Victory around the corner"?

No, it's not that! It's that uppity N*****!X10

Dear God, maybe the cynics are right, that he's better off a martyr.

 

[RogueBeaver]

I can easily see a King involved in the antiwar movement being targeted by COINTELPRO if RFK, but especially Nixon, is in the White House. No one would ever suspect him of ordering it, his excellent relations with the press preclude Bradlee allowing W&B to go sniffing and the wiretapping had shown his "Teflon Bob" quality. "National security, and that's all the answer you're gonna get!"

 

[Historico]

I first and foremost believe that Martin would jump into the murky waters of Politics unlike his companions, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young and others did IOTL. He denied an request from Antiwar Activist Dr. Spock to run on a Peace Party platformThe one that that we haven't talked about, is the increasing margilization that Martin was getting from within the black community. Alot of the Baby Boomer African Americans were tired of the ideology of Nonviolence and were openly embracing the words of Huey Newton, Angela Davis and other Panthers who preached Black Nationalisim more in vain with Malcom X rather than King.

RB, is right to say that he was moving toward a focus on Poverty rather than the increasingly militaristic Civil Rights. Most of the members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference agree that he was planning a "Poor People's Campaign" that never got off the ground. So in a scenario in which he lived, I can see the issue of Poverty be an issue that he would follow for the rest of his life.

I do believe, if he comes out openly dennoucing Bussing in the early Seventies, his relative popularity amongst most Middle Class Americans plumment and he may honestly decide to take a break take a more active role in raisng his kids during the 70's. Or he could take an even more internation profile, dennoucing Apartheid and other Totalitarian regimes.

 

[RogueBeaver]

He had already started the PPC in February '68, getting involved in the Memphis sanitation strike, with the union largely composed of black workers. Or as Gov. Ellington put it: "training 3,000 Negro garbagemen to start riots." Involvement in a labor dispute that had little, if anything, to do with civil rights alienated many of his white supporters IOTL. He planned to conduct a March on Washington and have thousands of blacks effectively squat there until the 1968 CRA was passed and more anti-poverty legislation was passed. The only politician of note to meet with the delegation was SecAg Orville Freeman. Some of them even squatted in Chicago City Hall. Or as one of Kennedy's aides put it: "would you please get those fucking poor people out of the Mayor's office?"

 

[Blitzhund]

How does MLK survive?

Is it that James Earl Ray simply misses his shot(s)? Or does the assassination not take place?

The reason I ask is that I believe that the Race Riots of '68 would have still occured if the assassination attempt still took place. I'm sure that MLK would have done his best to quell them but the destruction of the old black neighbourhoods would be almost as in OTL. Especially if MLK had been wounded.

If the assassination (attempt) never takes place then there are no riots and I believe that with Nixon's pull out from Vietnam that the move towards a more peaceful 70s would have still taken place. America's anger would have lessened. The likes of the Black Panthers would have continued to lose strength and been increasingly marginalized (though maybe not their propensity for violence).

As to MLK's future role, very few actually knew the man's heart. I think that a move towards politics is possible but just as likely is a move towards some sort of elder statesman kind of role.

I also think he would still be fondly remembered as a leader of the Civil Rights movement.