Nelson Mandela Speaks - but the National Civil Rights Museum fails to listen.

On a recent visit to Memphis to collect a Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum, Nelson Mandela gave a speech regarding the widening gap between the rich and poor, the advantaged and disadvantaged. Laudable in itself, certainly. but the attendees at this $150 per head, black tie event, held in the Memphis Ballroom of the Peabody Hotel - the most expensive in Memphis were the very people Mandela was complaining about.

Instead of bowing their heads in shame, the National Civil Rights Museum spokespeople proclaimed the evening as an absolute success. Perhaps the champagne had temporarily dulled the fact, that they are about to spend $8 million building a shrine to violence, negativity and racial hatred. While they have the opportunity right now, to spend this money in the way that Nelson Mandela recommended.

God knows there is already a massive chasm between the rich and poor in Memphis. It exists on the doorstep of the National Civil Rights Museum, but they fail to see it - or perhaps they do see it, but choose to look away.

The fact is that the National Civil Rights Museum have the power to make changes, the problem is that they neither understand or care about the true civil rights issues of this new century. What about the civil rights of the homeless? What about the rights of teenage single mothers?

How much longer can they wash their hands before the social conscience of the majority, question their motives and condemn their actions.