Today is the third full day of my vacation. It has been incredible taking a break from the day job, school and even writing.
However, I felt the reverent need to pause and pay tribute to a man who helped change this nation.
He did not see himself as a visionary or a hero. Rather, he was simply a man who did not believe in ignoring injustice. A southern pastor whose speeches and beliefs were inseparable from his faith, he endured violence, threats against his family, and ultimately his murder all to denounce the hatred and inequality rooted in America.
It is because of him that I can sit here in a integrated coffee shop writing this entry. Due to his fight and the fight of other civil rights activist that I can strive for the moon shooting past chains of oppression and white only signs.
However, that fight is not yet over! If Dr. King was alive today he would not just be sitting back with the knowledge that a man of color now holds the office of presidency over this nation. He would decry the economic oppression of those who can barely afford to feed their families. I believe he would speak out against the lack of diversity in the higher positions in all Fortune 500 companies and the other glass ceilings and walls barely acknowledged and rarely recognized. I believe Dr. King would champion the cause of students struggling against against the politics of school systems of that keeps lower income children from dreams of higher education.
With the gap widening between the haves and the have nots it is imperative that I and everyone else remembers the values held by Dr. King not just today but every day. And since he cannot do the work for us it is up to me and everyone else who want to see the fullest extent of Dr. King's dream come into fruition so that we may one day "sing that old negro spiritual
Free at last
Free at last
Thank God Almighty
We agree free at last."
...Thank you Dr. King
-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone 4S
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