Civilrights.org

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was as committed to economic justice as he was to ending segregation. 

And yet, Dr. King's speeches on economic justice and eradicating poverty are still not as well known as his speeches on racial discrimination.  These speeches, about helping the poorest Americans, regardless of race, speak to problems that the nation is still struggling with 40 years later. 

As the nation deals with rising unemployment and an ongoing debate about the need for an economic recovery plan, we have an opportunity to take second look at some of these lesser-known speeches:

As the federal government discusses an $800 billion economic recovery package designed to jump start the U.S. economy, the Half in Ten campaign is urging the incoming Obama administration to support a package that will rebuild the economy "from the bottom up."

Consistent with Half in Ten's support for the Unemployment Insurance Modernization Act, which would help more workers get unemployment benefits, The New York Times stated in a January 10 editorial that unemployment insurance should be expanded.

The Times states: "Even with a stimulus plan, unemployment will remain uncomfortably high in 2009, and even after it bottoms out, it is likely to revive slowly. That calls for not only extending unemployment benefits but expanding them, so that they cover more workers."

Other proposals urged by Half in Ten included:

• providing jobs and job training for low income and disadvantaged workers;
• targeting infrastructure projects to maximize community benefits;
• a substantial increase in child care and early education funding;
• increased support for affordable housing and protection against foreclosures;
• tax credits for low-income families; and
• a substantial increase in the value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamp) benefits.