MLK Day in Bartlett
THE SCENE: 27°, calm, lots of ice
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH, IW, Hillbillies, arm circles
THA-THANG:
To honor Martin Luther King, Jr, YHC gave the PAX a brief history lesson about King’s famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” then shared some quotes from the letter during the workout. The workout was a modified MARSOC short card. YHC had planned some running in between exercises, but cut out the running because of the ice at Freeman. Instead, we found a comfortable, thawed-out piece of pavement on which to sweat.
King wrote the letter from a Birmingham jail cell in 1963. He was arrested for protesting general segregation laws in Birmingham. Local white clergy wrote an open letter to King opposing his methods and asking him to fight his battle in the courts. King’s letter was his response. You can read the whole thing here.
1. 30 Merkins IC
2. 30 Squats IC
3. 30 LBCs IC
4. 10 Burpees OYO
5. 10 Windmills IC
6. 30 Merkins IC
7. 30 Mountain climbers IC
8. 30 Flutter kicks IC
9. 10 Burpees OYO
10. 10 Cotton pickers (4-count) IC
11. 30 Merkins IC
12. 30 SSH IC
13. 30 Supermans IC
14. 10 Burpees OYO
15. 15 American Hammers IC
16. 30 Merkins IC
17. 30 Lunges IC
18. 30 Hello dollies IC
19. 10 Burpees OYO
20. 10 WWI sit-ups
We cycled back through about half of these a second time and then did some Mary.
YHC mixed in the following passages from King’s letter in between exercises:
“Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.”
“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was “well timed” in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word “Wait!” It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This “Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.””
“I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
“Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.”
MARY:
Pickle pounders, baby makers, bridge hold, James Bonds. AO Q Phat Pat called time and there was much rejoicing.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
9 PAX: Orange Julius, Mr. Wonderful, Granola, Part Timer, Moana, Phat Pat, Long-Haul, Green Monster, Soybean (QIC)
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
F3 uses many words to describe a Q (a leader). One of those words is Corrector, someone who calls out injustice or false ideals and calls the community to change. “For the community to prosper, virtue requires an advocate. The Q is willing to be that man.” Dr. King was such a man. YHC was inspired reading his Letter to be more outspoken against injustice and for those who can’t speak for themselves. One final passage from King:
“There was a time when the church was very powerful–in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being “disturbers of the peace” and “outside agitators.”‘ But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were “a colony of heaven,” called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be “astronomically intimidated.” By their effort and example, they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent–and often even vocal–sanction of things as they are.
“But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.”
MOLESKIN:
Bartlett is still in it’s infancy, but a gaggle of PAX came out to put in some real work. TCLAPS all around.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Phat Pat encouraged the PAX to Always Be Headlocking.
