I once had a discussion with one of the more conservative people I know about the fact that there are a couple of states that don’t celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. I think they are Arizona and Colorado, although I’m not sure. Colorado would make sense though, since that’s where she lives. Anyway, her question was, why would white people celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. This notion took me totally by surprise, because it seems so shortsighted.
By forcing Americans to confront the prejudice and inequalities inherent in our society, Martin Luther King Jr. made this country a better place for everyone who lives here. By advancing the cause of civil rights through non-violent means, even as his people had water hoses turned on them and dogs set on them, their churches bombed, their skulls cracked, and sometimes, were murdered outright, he qualifies for hero status in my eyes.
I am thankful that my children will grow up in a country without segregation and lynchings. I am pleased that my country is a place where it is no longer acceptable to be blatantly racist or discriminatory based on the color of someone’s skin. Yes, I know there is still plenty of prejudice and subtle and probably not so subtle discrimination out there. And yes, it is disheartening that we still have to debate topics like race based admissions policies and racial profiling. I know we still have a very long way to go. But think about how much longer the road would be without Martin Luther King Jr. and the work he did.
That’s why I honor his memory.
In Alabama, it is a split state. Some folks celebrate Martin Luther King Day and others celebrate Robert E. Lee. The sarcastic choose to call it "Superhero" Day. I used to think of that as bad terminology, now I'm not so sure...these folks were indeed superhero's weren't they? There are schools here that don't celebrate either...weird if you ask me. I enjoyed your post....very well said.
Agreed. There are many parts of the country that view this a little differently. I don't know why we shouldn't honor a great man with a great vision of American society.