Looking back over the years the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been one of the most influential figures in my lifetime. He was not only a hero to Afro-Americans he was a hero to the American conscious of the social injustice imposed on all people of different races and beliefs.
I lived through the years his cause came to light and through the marvels of television saw the movement unfolding from its infancy in the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. to the 1963 March on Washington and sadly the vivid reports of his assassination in 1968. Being from this area I must admit I was a very naive young man back then. I was a small town boy and didn't see much in that light. Seeing the civil rights movement underway was an eye opener for this kid from Wellsville. At first I was skeptical and then that skepticism turned into indignation for all the wrongs that were apparently accepted through out the land. I remember being told "polite people don't discuss those things" and thinking that was wrong too. Where does the Golden Rule fit in if we just turn a blind eye to what is going on? This great country of ours wasn't founded on thinking like that. That's not what we learned in our schools or places of worship. Social injustice wasn't right and MLK, for people like me, took the lead to open a lot of eyes in his lifetime.
In 1963 MLK told us he had a dream. Although conditions have vastly improved over the last 40 years there are still things to do. With the grace of the good Lord maybe someday that dream will become a reality. The memory of the efforts of the preacher from Atlanta lives on and to this day continues to make us conscious for doing what is right.
God rest your soul Martin and may you sleep in peace looking down from the heavens seeing that your efforts were not in vain. Your dream lives on...
ole nib
4 comments:
Your comments on MLK were so heartfelt and senstive. Yes, we do have a lot more work to do. Why can't we all just be brothers and sisters?
Indeed...
ole nib
Because everyone isnt heartfelt and sensitive. In fact, many people are heartless and insensitive. Look at the Presidential race. The way Hillary and Obama go after each other is just a mirror image of what goes on between the President and Congress. They are the examples? They make me sick.
Speaking of politics..It looks like the longer Rudy G. stays somewhere, the less they like him. He is toast. To bad because he was much more progressive than the other Bush clones the republicans are running. Did I say clones..I meant to say clowns.
Post a Comment