I've Been to the Mountaintop Theme of Solidarity

"Too many cooks spoil the broth." Ever heard that one? Now, it's true, even one cook can spoil the broth, especially if they keep throwing disgusting things in it. But the point is that, when everyone tries to do their own thing, nothing gets done. At least nothing good.

Which is why MLK says it's important to organize, because that's how you solve problems: sticking together to achieve a common goal. Solidarity can mean cooperation within a group, and it can also mean supporting people who are different from you. The Memphis situation has both: while the sanitation workers didn't have enough power to fix things on their own, Dr. K figured that, with enough people behind them, things might just change for the better.

1. The Invaders, who disrupted King's Memphis march, wanted many of the same things he did: namely, rights for African Americans. Are solidarity and agreement the same thing? Can you feel that you're on the same side as someone else even if you disagree with their actions?
2. Dr. King says in this speech that "we go up together or we go down together." Are we really that interconnected? Does other people's suffering materially affect your life, apart from making you feel sad? When we help others, do we also help ourselves?
3. Dr. King increasingly addressed class issues toward the end of his life, but he certainly didn't stop thinking about race, as demonstrated by his call in "Mountaintop" for African American camaraderie and collective action. How do race and class intersect in the Memphis sanitation strike? What's the relationship between looking out for your own group(s) and the idea of universal "brotherhood" expressed in the Good Samaritan story? Does caring about everyone mean caring about everyone equally?

We need this speech now more than ever, because the average American isn't sufficiently aware of or sympathetic to the plights of others, which means they'll never make the effort to solve big problems.

Dr. King is right that unity is important for successful political action, but diversity—even disagreement—is just as important.