As I reflect today on the celebration going on all over the United States in honor of the birthday of Dr. King, I am humbled by his work and the ultimate sacrifice he paid trying to ensure the rights of minorities and us all.
The fact that he is only one of 3 people who have the individual honor of being recognized for his contribution in the shaping of America is inspiring. (George Washington and Columbus)
I can only try to pass on to my children the legacy of he and the others that were jailed, beaten and killed fighting for what the Constitution promised.
I'm pulling his speech up on youtube to watch with my children and as I do, I'll be thinking about what he would think had he lived to see President Obama take office.
I pray we as a people and nation continue to move forward toward equality so that our past one day will be nothing but a,"Once Upon A Time....
I agree with your statement about the comparing the sufferings of Blacks to Jews.
Furthermore, if you look at history, just about every race has suffered at the hands of others in some degree or another.
The Jews are one of the few people groups that have a legitimate right to bring up the past as there are others still publicly declaring Israel should be wiped of the face of the earth.
As for (some) blacks, bringing up the past is more about entitlement and a lame excuse not to apply themselves and move forward.
Aw, babygirl you know it is true, not of all but of some, and they seem to make the most noise. I honestly feel that when some people live in the past, they don't take hold of the present and are robbed of their future. Not all blacks could stomach hearing that from me, only because of the color of my skin. That is why I think more blacks need to stand up a preach a new message!
Btw babygirl, I would like to give you a "heads up" on something :
'Obama being President is a double edged sword for blacks'
To explain, Blacks can take joy in the fact that the color of ones skin will not even keep one from being President of the United States. The flip side is blacks can no longer use the color of their skin for a excuse for whatever.
Will things still happen because of the color of ones skin?...Yes, but things will still happen because of height, weight, monetary worth, social status, personality, intelligence, relation etc.......it happens to all of us
Oh, babygirl, we are on the precipice, you and I of solving the worlds problems, how can you leave now! Did you know that in about 100 years every person on this planet will be the same color.....kinda of a translucent color I think : )
I think it is all about moving on, but we should respect those whose experiences and past are different make it more difficult. It's easier to preach moving on and objectivity when you weren't the one punched in the mouth. Dr. King proved it can be done though and we should all aspire to live up to the legacy and character he lived. I myself do not know as much about him as I would like to except for what I was taught in high school. Does anybody have any books or dvds they recommend? Rather than project our political views, I think it's better shut up, listen and take a long hard look at our society and history and how we can learn from the past and appreciate what was done and accomplished by Dr. King.
My posts are not about "political views" per se, they are about completing the work Dr. King started. We should all appreciate and learn from history, but if we chain ourselves to it we never move on. Dr. King started a "Movement" .....meaning to move ,as opposed to static or stagnant. None of us live in the same environment Dr. King lived in. Great things were accomplished in his time and he should be honored and remembered for his contribution. The best way to honor him is to contribute the right thing for the environment we live in, not rehashing the injustices of the past. What people don't seem to understand is that to rehash the injustices of the past is to DIShonor those who paid a high price to put these very injustices behind us.
* This whole thing has a spiritual component that some christians deal with. Even though Christ has forgiven them, and made a new agreement between God and man, written in His blood; many dishonor His sacrifice by living in the past under the old agreement by hanging on to the guilt and unforgiveness the old agreement produces.
Martin Luther king is one of those men that shapped a generation of people. yes, we have gotten ahead of where we were. Here in the states race is not the issue it once was.
Since this post was originally about MLK, I'd like to share something I also shared on a FB page.
It has nothing to do with politics (btw-poli= many, tics= blood-sucking creature- a little something I picked up in medical terminology).
In 1968 when I was 6 years old, My parents brought me to the Memphis Zoo while we were visiting my Uncle who was injured in a car accident. We spent a couple of days there because he was hurt pretty bad. Being unfamiliar with the area, my dad got lost.(and like guys do, refused to admit it) My mom finally got him to stop at a gas station along the way to ask for directions. There were some ppl standing around outside & we wondered what was going on. They were all dressed up in black suits and and talking. My dad talked to them for a few minutes while Mom and I waited in the car wondering what was taking him so long.. He finally returned with some coke and peanuts and we left. Turns out the people Dad was talking to was MLK and some more people that were with him. He was about to make a speech at a rally for sanitation workers who were being -as my dad said- "given the shaft." They were waiting there to meet up with another group of people who were suppose to take them where they were suppose to be. We had heard of him but didn't know too much about him, but since another uncle of mine was a sanitation worker for a while, he wished them luck. A few days later my dad told me the nice man he was talking to in Memphis had been shot.
Some of this I remember but a lot my mom told me after I got older. I remember it was cold and Dad never let the car (a red 1966 Chevy Impala) idle because it wasted gas, so Mom and I were wondering what they were talking about. It didn't have a radio either because Dad said they didn't play anything but "hippie" music anyway. I remember my uncle in a full body csat and I thought he looked like a mummy.My dad was the type of man than never met a stranger and could talk to anybody, regardless of who they were or their status in life. I remember seeing Graceland and Dad not stopping so Mom could take pictures because he wasn't a big Elvis fan-(They got into a pretty "heated" discussion about that!) I remember the people at the gas station all dressed up in black suits and hats like they were going to a funeral, and Dad telling me about the man getting shot. He never told me he died, just that he got shot. I don't remember much about the zoo though.
After I had a family of my own I went back to Memphis to carry my family to the zoo (and Graceland!). I drove around a little (We had gotten directions from Mapquest beforehand!!!) but wasn't able to locate the gas station.