kind of rocking out to bob marley, i don't really like bob marley anymore. [laughter] it's kind of you ruined it for me. and it took me to be outside of that context, actually, you know, that he can sing, and he's good. and you can't blame him, you can't blame him for that. and that does speak to the speech, because one of the ways -- and a few people said this -- why don't we know it as the bad check speech. there's quite a long moment where king talks about america has issued the knee grow a bad check -- negro a bad check, and we have come to cash this check that was marked ip sufficient funds -- instuff funds. and if you understand it as the bad check speech, then it does bring the issues up-to-date in this a way that the dream, which is a vision, a utopian vision -- and i like it because it's a utopian vision -- does not. then he says where's ours? when are you going to to come good on check? no one can walk around the jails and the schools and say america has honored that check. and the metaphor is that with the declaration of independence can, i think,

the poem dedicated to bob marley and larry neal. this is democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. are spending the hour remembering the poet and playwright and political organizer amiri baraka. baraka was a leading force in the black arts movement of the 1960s and 1970s. to talk more about his legacy, we are joined by four guests. in philadelphia, sonia sanche. a renowned poet, playwright, activist, one of the leaders of the black studies movement. she is the author of more than a books.outes -- here in new york, we are joined ,y three people, felipe luciano my longtime comrade, poet, journalist, and writer. he knew amiri baraka for 43 years. he was an original group of the group the last poets. komozi woodard is a professor of history at sarah lawrence college, author of "a nation within a nation: amiri baraka and black power politics." is with us, chairman of the people's organization for progress. to start with sonya sanchez. your reaction to the news of amiri baraka's death. >> good morning to you, my brothers and si

i don't really like bob marley. you ruined it for me. it took me to be outside that context. there's a moment where king talks about america has issued the negro a bad check. we have come cash the check that was marked insufficient funds. if you understand it, as a bad check speech. it brings the issues up to date in a dream which was a vision, a utopian vision. i like it because it's utopian does not. when are you going to -- no one can walk around the jail and the school and say america has honored that change. the metaphor is with the decoration of independence, i think, it does different things how to the speech can be remember. not just as cue -- can't we all get along. there has to be a specifically talking about reparations here. but like there has to be a redistribution of wealth. there has to be -- so you to make good on what you say it mean to mean america. you haven't done that yet. that is a different way of understanding the speech. also by 200 years ago, and talk about legacy of slavery and segregation in a way that makes it very clear there is more to freedom t

have been bob dylan, bob marley whispering words of descent and encouragement in my ear. what i got from their music was a simple idea that the world outside the window was not fixed and it was more malable than everyone else is telling you. we're telling you that the world can be changed. and that you must change too. >> sometimes people say oh you know, they play imagine. that's the only song i don't like. they say what do you mean it's a hymn to universalism. >> i just don't like -- i love the band. he wrote the blueprint. but imagine wasn't one of them. i'm more of a actions, doing, building following my nose following curiosity to understand people and understand the world better and myself better. >> he's always working at it always. at music, himself. i remember one time i saw an interview with him. he said when my band and i are hot, no one can touch us. >> i can't wait until they're on tour again. i'll be there. want to go? >> i'll go. >> would you like to come too many? >> i'm feeling left out. >> okay. sorry. go ahead. >> i'm looking out for you. >>> the nobel

with atmar lame when i started seeing people whose racial politics i distrusted rocking out to bob marley said you ruined it for me. it took me to the outside of that to actually see it is good and you can't blame him. you can't blame him for that. and that does speak to the speech because one of the plays and a few people said this one we know is we know as the bad check speech. in the speech there's a quite a long moment where king talks about america has issued the negroes a bad check and we have come to cash this check it was marked insufficient funds. if you understand it, as a bad check speech than it does bring the issues up to date in a way that the dream which is a fish and a utopian vision and i like it because it's a utopian visiou going to come good on this check? no one can walk around the jails in the schools and say america has honored that check. the metaphor is that with the declaration of independence black men in white men were created equal. that was the check that keeps bouncing. when one understands america's racial history that way, it does do different things to ho

the book most people know about is a christmas carol ebenezer scrooge and bob bob cratchit and you know scrooge and marley scrooge was the middle class in that day the middle class was made up of he was a two person he wanted to come a person company a little tiny business you have shopped literally the books butcher the baker the cabinet maker the. candlestick maker the doctors the lawyers that was the middle class and then you had the large the ninety eight percent which was the working poor and in fact during victorian era england you had maximum wage law as it was illegal to pay people too much because they were afraid of people were paid too much they would rise up and become troublemakers this is what russell kirk warned us about in one nine hundred fifty one that if the american working poor became the american middle class which was happening in the fifty's. if this were to happen you would see chaos in america and guess what the sixty's happened and when the sixty's happened all the conservatives look back to what russell kirk said and said look at that women are demanding rights people of color