Ten O'Clock News; Melvin King, Part 2

OK two more questions. One. Other key to describe your sense of your strength as a social worker dealing with people on the edge of something other in need or trouble. What was your skill with those people and how did you learn it in that in that work. I don't know how to say how I learned. If I go back. To what kind of philosophical value Taisha you use and get out the fact that I come out of Sears no matter what you have here with people who need that's just fine. Second you have to do a few good about yourself. And I'm a person who feels very very good about

who won. And I think if you feel good about yourself it's very easy to see the good in other people and the strength in other people. So in working with people I believe in their strength in their power and the fact that they feel good doing things for themselves as a TV commercial. That used to watch with one when you say I want to do it myself and I know how I felt in school when I solve the problems myself. Teacher Do you have to give me a good grade on that. I got that grade from my sense of what I was able to do. I think that that's where people. They want to feel good about themselves they want to exercise their ability their skills and the knowledge they have they want to be about problem solving themselves because they get the payoff. From that. So when I worked with. The

symphony Terence Organizing Project around the issue of us and I got them to go on the radio. Did all of those things that put them in the position where the payoff would come directly to them with the skills in the problem solving would be would be theirs. And so you see later a lot of things that they do in that they can share and we have a very good relationship. I could have stood out in front. That's one of the things that people have said to me about the fact that I don't lift up. The road that I have played or part of it is a belief that no one individual accomplishes anything. It takes a lot of people to to change things and make things happen. Rosa Parks who is my model person who really. In her way of

saying she was somebody she'd self-defined and was then determined to be treated that way. I wouldn't give up her seat on a bus but ultimately. You know she can analyze the movement it was a group of people who did the brute carving and who. And who came together to get the situation situation changed and recognized. That very very much. So it's about empowerment. It's about getting people involved in a problem solving. It's about getting people to see themselves and the strength that they have and not let them off the hook for their responsibility to take action in their own right. It's getting them to see themselves as deserving as being somebody and having rights. It works. And talk about experiences people groups

where getting them involved in an empowering process makes a difference in the lives of people. Last question. I'm struck by also a sense of what some of there is a certain curse part of your life address. Not really including the longshoreman son's point. And should I since I could book at six kids but more city kids local kids even within the city athletes scholars of sorts first kids in the family go to college come right back home get into neighborhood work youth work neighborhood life and politics in some fashion as a as a response to outside pressures on neighborhoods. But two guys who maintain a in

different in very different ways but a certain kind of social workers. Settlement House workers handle politics and local life. It is not I don't mean to say that you are the same people or even similar people but I wonder whether you are struck in this campaign by certain correspondents with gray. And I guess I put it in by contrast with other candidates in this race when you're much more like as individuals it seems to me not only because you're not lawyers and you're not. Technicians or technocrats so your promises are quite different. But you're quite unlike anybody that's been mayor of the Boston city. Both of you stand out in a sort of similar contest but I wonder if you are struck at all in this competition with really by a sense that there is a kind of correspondence in your lives.

You know I have been but I have noticed is that. It's kind of like a me to approach that here's a doctor I think it is and it has been successful to the extent that it has been a way to get people to say just what you're saying. We understand obviously your experiences are vastly different in terms of the world view in terms of approach to politics than in terms of empowering in terms of having worked with groups and done organizing. I think if you look at the legislation that we have filed that there's a vast difference. I think you'll see that his is much more narrow and parochial with respect to where he lives and people you associate with. I think you'll see that mine is much more comprehensive which deals with things like family and agriculture

with business and economic development with empowerment of people in the communities and I think that's a vast difference. And it comes out of our experiences. I live in a community that's always had diversity and he doesn't live in that kind of kind of community. So if you. And if you think about what in fact we have achieved with our legislative records and I think you also see with us a vast difference. If you take a look at the district representation of Boston John's programs that I've pushed have come out of my experience. You don't see his push in those kind of programs at all. It was one thing to say

I agree there's another thing to have the level of awareness that gets you to move the system in that direction. Is he learning from you. I think that. The approach that I've taken it's obviously pretty difficult for a lot of people to look at the success I've had over the years and not pay some attention and attention to it. I think group and consistent on our own ruinous analysis of where to continue to move this country where to continue to move move this city and I've been about moving both and I think that there is another difference in

that regard because as and been about moving moving either you take the housing issue. And I'm always intrigued by his statements about where he is with us. I found that for his bills to deal with displacement and condominium conversion it was an issue you really own in this district and couldn't get folks to support that until it became something that I told them that affects them in their districts as well. I think that a fundamental difference on these issues is you awareness. You approach the fact that I see them in terms of the issue of

oppression and my dealing with people who are gay and lesbian dealing with the issues of sexism and racism comes out of dealing with the issue of oppression that is deep in me in the politics that I relate to. And it's whether it's oppression on my block or in my house in the city state national or international level people are oppressed and that's where I really spawn and I think that that's what's really respond I don't know is respond Montoni was there. That's what I'm used to. I think when you ask questions about the issue of racism and sexism the difference in their responses in terms of what the root cause is and I will tell you that we come from a different place with respect

to them. Because I just read really milking Silas's us what's going on on the other side of it sometimes. So I don't there's much anger. No I mean it's an explosive rage. You know you look at the conditions that people live and by taking action by developing programs and by working with people. Silence. Looking at you Asian figuring

out how do you put something together that gets us a win win situation when we're good people understand. So you have to back up from union vol in the right to get you through one's own situation where on my what's my rule my contributing positively to his resolution. You know you're probably doomed from. The fight within you to take a look with you allows you to change direction. Approach. So I brood a little.

We're going to. Get. Up. I cut away with no talking of it. OK. Just this is just reading this is that we get a wide shot here. It was very interesting. I think you should think of a student of yours as close to this race but here you get to keep teaching license.