P O S T E D B Y J O H N
| V.P. | Dr. King, welcome. Please have a seat. Now, remind me again what your project is about. |
| KING | Several weeks ago a member of our community, Mrs. Rosa Parks, was arrested for refusing to vacate her bus seat for a white passenger. To protest this injustice, this past December 5th we urged all people of conscience to boycott Montgomery’s buses. Our organizing effort was very successful, and the following evening, at a meeting of ministers and other community leaders, we formed the Montgomery Improvement Association to continue the boycott. I was chosen to lead that effort. |
| V.P. | Ah, yes, here’s your proposal. You requested funds to organize carpools, hold weekly meetings with community members, and, together with the NAACP, legally challenge Montgomery’s bus segregation ordinance. |
| KING | That’s correct. |
| V.P. | Desegregating Montgomery’s buses is certainly a worthy goal, Dr. King, but I’m afraid I have some bad news for you: your proposal was denied funding. A report from our Research Department tells me that activists in other communities have attempted bus boycotts in recent years, to no effect. I also see from your resume that you have no track record of leading a social change movement … |
| KING | That’s true, but I firmly believe that the hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined noncomformists, like myself and others, who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood. |
| V.P. | Yes, well, permit me to share some of the reviewers’ comments. One of them worries about your business model and the scalability of your efforts. He’s especially concerned about sustainability issues. You write in your proposal that you plan to pass the plate at community meetings and solicit support from other civil rights organizations. Do you have any firm commitments? |
| KING | Not as yet, but— |
| V.P. | Dr. King, with all due respect, any social venture worthy of the name requires, at the very least, a plausible theory of change. You write in your proposal that you believe “unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” |
| KING | Those are my words. |
| V.P. | Well, that’s all rather speculative, don’t you think? |
If I didn't know better, could have sworn I had a dream about this.
Posted by: Bruce Trachtenberg | June 03, 2007 at 08:48 AM
Well, on the other hand, we still sure hear a lot about Jesus, if not about the poor.
Posted by: Phil | June 03, 2007 at 05:54 PM
I think we'd permit the poor to be heard more if they weren't so damned needy.
Posted by: Stuart Johnson | June 03, 2007 at 06:50 PM
By the way, another "unreconstructed" venture philanthropist is having his say via a podcast at Tactical Philanthropy. Tune in for more.
Posted by: Bruce Trachtenberg | June 08, 2007 at 08:06 AM