Nice tactic ...I would like to see him on the coin not because he is black but because he is a great American that happens to be black. There are MANY great black Americans like say...Percy Julian, that wont be on a coin but did great things and over came institutionalized racism, something MLK help change. Lot of great people on our coins, why not. If there are Asians, homosexuals, or Jewish people who have contributed so much for freedom, change and equal rights, a person who did so much to change the direction of our society for the better and people want them on a coin they can certainly propose them and if enough agree....no problem here. MLK was just a great man but there are some who understand more how drastically he changed things for the better, or werent a part of the group of people who most benefited from his efforts so they dont care to see it...I realized when I read this: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/popular_requests/frequentdocs/birmingham.pdf As well as many other reasons of course. Also, if a person doesnt want MLK on a coin they are racist!!! Just kidding...I understand there are either people who dont care, dont care for him, or dont care for ANYONE being on our coins. I like coins with portraits who had profound effects and contributions to our nation and fill our history so I am all for us sticking to that...just personal taste.
I agree on the current ugly edited coins we have. Look at the Standing Lib quarter, the Walker, the Merc....... At the risk of a flaming, I even find the current commems boring when compared to the classics The new designs for Lincoln are downright fugly....
Interesting Thread. I can see where this would get ugly real fast though. I still say lets put some of the USA's real beauties on coins. Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge, Sears Tower, Things like that. OR how about our wildlife, deer, moose etc. Ya I know our neighbors have done that.
I have always been proud of the fact that I can honestly say that I feel I am not racist. Geez. Now I have to sell all my coins since I can't continue to belong to a hobby that is so racist. Well, I better get back to my movie, "CSA states of America".
Issues like this could be avoided if they would stop putting dead Americans on circulation coins altogether and return to images of liberty, eagles, etc. If people want to commemorate someone, they belong on commemorative coins.
Now Rickie, you know those were not slams. You know there is paper in my safe. I'd probably even do some pretty unscrupulus things for one of these. http://www.keycurrency.com/eagles/cut sheets/cutsheet2.htm
You, me, and 99% of the people in this country. That is not true of the people who started slavery here. Captaining ships with flags from a far off shore... can anyone guess which country was the worst offender ? A work acquaintance of mine is from a Nordic country. His words : "America is the most integrated country in the world. My homeland is far more racist."
HE just hasnt been to the right places. As a man from the south I have to say 99% is way off. How about we strike a compromise and just put Martin Luther on the coins. He is right about Norway, I go to Stavanger here and there, its white as the driven snow.
My family is from Georgia and Tenn, I was born in New Orleans and now I am in Houston. Houston isnt so bad, cant say the same thing for some of the other places I have been. Like say...Greenville Texas (in east Texas) where they had a sign that said 'blackest land, whitest people' Its more just individuals these days, nothing that institutionalized....