Happy (belated) birthday to Dr. King
I'd like to propose a blog toast to a courageous revolutionary, a man who got it.
To Dr. Martin Luther King, on this, the day we observe what would have been his 77th birthday had he not been cut down in the prime of his life. (The actual birthday was, of course, yesterday, which is when I meant to post this before I got wrapped up in the NFL playoffs.)
What can one say that has not already been said time and again? Dr. King was just the right man for his time. His eloquence and animation allowed him to communicate the hopes and aspirations of an entire people. His message, while informed by his religious beliefs, transcended them to reach out to all who saw the same wrongs in the world. His courage allowed him to stand up in the face of those who sought to deny him and others their basic inalienable rights, and say, "No more."
The inimitable Leonard Pitts, in an article published Friday, talks about how Dr. King truly understood and sympathized with the human condition. He understood that, just as white people should not judge black people by race, nor should the reverse be true. I have no doubt that, had he lived, his tireless efforts would have continued to promote racial harmony, and he would have chipped away at both sides of the equation. I wonder if he shudders now as he he views the current dissonance from above. Best not to think of what might have been, and focus on what was and is.
As Pitts points out, Martin Luther King Day is often a day for quoting the "I Have a Dream" speech, reciting lines about judging people by the "content of their character" and so on. Assuming my readership is familiar with the speech, and not wanting to become a cliché, I will not quote it.
Besides, my favorite MLK quote is not from that speech, but rather from his Letter from Birmingham Jail: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
Words to live by.
Song lyric of the day:
"Sleep tonight
And may your dreams be realized
If the thunder cloud passes rain
So let it rain down on him
So let it be"
- U2, MLK
To Dr. Martin Luther King, on this, the day we observe what would have been his 77th birthday had he not been cut down in the prime of his life. (The actual birthday was, of course, yesterday, which is when I meant to post this before I got wrapped up in the NFL playoffs.)
What can one say that has not already been said time and again? Dr. King was just the right man for his time. His eloquence and animation allowed him to communicate the hopes and aspirations of an entire people. His message, while informed by his religious beliefs, transcended them to reach out to all who saw the same wrongs in the world. His courage allowed him to stand up in the face of those who sought to deny him and others their basic inalienable rights, and say, "No more."
The inimitable Leonard Pitts, in an article published Friday, talks about how Dr. King truly understood and sympathized with the human condition. He understood that, just as white people should not judge black people by race, nor should the reverse be true. I have no doubt that, had he lived, his tireless efforts would have continued to promote racial harmony, and he would have chipped away at both sides of the equation. I wonder if he shudders now as he he views the current dissonance from above. Best not to think of what might have been, and focus on what was and is.
As Pitts points out, Martin Luther King Day is often a day for quoting the "I Have a Dream" speech, reciting lines about judging people by the "content of their character" and so on. Assuming my readership is familiar with the speech, and not wanting to become a cliché, I will not quote it.
Besides, my favorite MLK quote is not from that speech, but rather from his Letter from Birmingham Jail: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
Words to live by.
Song lyric of the day:
"Sleep tonight
And may your dreams be realized
If the thunder cloud passes rain
So let it rain down on him
So let it be"
- U2, MLK
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