WE GO UP OR DOWN TOGETHER

Either we go up Together or we go down Together

" WHO IS IT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO ARTICULATE THE LONGINGS AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE PEOPLE MORE THAN THE PREACHER"


Its alright to talk about " long white robes over yonder," in all its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. Its alright to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals aday. Its alright to talk about the New Jerusalem. But one day, God's preachers must talk about the new New York, the New Atlanta, the New Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.

Now the other thing we'll have to do is this. Always anchor our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal. Now ,we are poor people, individually, we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that means all of us together, collectively we are richer than all the nations in the world, with the exception of nine. Did you ever think about that? After you leave the United states, Soviet Russia, Great Briton, West Germany, France, and I could name the others, the negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than the exports of the United States and more than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That's power right there, if we know how to pool it.

We dont have to argue with anybody. We dont have to curse and go around acting bad with our words, We dont need any bricks and bottles, we dont need molotov cocktails . We just need to go around to these stores and to these massive industries in our coountry, and say, "God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children right. And we've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda-fair treatment , where God's children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you."

And so , as a result of this, we are asking you tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy coca cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to buy Sealtest Milk. Tell them not to buy--what is that bread?--Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart's Bread. As Jesse Jackson has said , up to now , only the garbage men have been feeling pain; now we must redistribute the pain. We are choosing these companies because they haven't been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right.

But not only that we've got to strengthen black institutions. I call upon you to take your money out of the banks downtown and deposit your money in Tri-State Bank--we want a "bank-in" movement in Memphis. So go by the savings and loan association. I'm not asking you to do something that we don't do at SCLC. Judge Hooks and others will tell you that we have an account here in the savings and loan association from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. We're just telling you to follow what we're doing. Put your money there. You have six or seven black insurance companies in Memphis. Take out your insurance there. We want an "insurance-in."

Now there are some practical things we can do. to begin the process of building a greater economic base. And at the same time, we are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask you to follow through here.

Now, let me say as I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point, in Memphis. we've got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. BE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR BROTHER. You may not be on strike . But either we go up together or we go down together.


"Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and say, "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Somehow the preacher must say with Jesus. "The spirit of the lord is upon me , because he hath sent me to deal with problems of the poor."


Dr. Martin Luther King jr.