MLK Jr. Day 2022 is tomorrow. It’s the day to commemorate the life of the man, and it’s the day to remember his message of non-violence – and his dream of equality for all. We seem to love the day and I always see lots of posts with some of MLK Jr’s famous quotes. I post them too. We need to be reminded. Dr. King was quite the orator and he gave compassionate speeches of hope. We think of the efforts of Dr. King and the Freedom Fighters back in the 60’s – the boycotts, the marches.. We think about the way they stood up to the conservative white leaders of that time, many bigoted, and how they suffered physically and mentally for trying to be heard and to make a difference. The Freedom Fighters never used violence although it was used against them. Dr. King, a man of great peace lost his life from violence and hatred.
Rep. Lewis was a young man and was part of the movement back then and he worked closely with Dr. King. I admired him very much, putting himself on the line in his young adulthood, and then the work he did later in Congress. Both King and Lewis used their whole lives to work on changing cold hearts and changing laws in America. This week the King family has said to honor Martin this year they want Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill. I pray it will happen. We need to honor every voter, to give every citizen equality in the voting system – and to honor and cherish our free democratic elections.
I was a kid living in the midwest back in the 60’s and I did not know about the civil rights movement as it was going on. I guess I was too young. I lived in a middle class suburbia area and I was insulated from it. Thankfully, I grew up in a house that never used racial language. I was never taught at home that whites were better, or favored, or anything like that. I thank my parents for instead teaching me that we are ALL God’s children. I never once considered myself better than any other person. Race was not a part of my vocabulary.
So, as another Martin Luther King Jr. Day comes around, I think about how as a young person I learned about Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement from school – a day of emphasis with programs. As years have gone by I learned from some important movies. And, I learned from TV. I have read books about the era. My education has also been about America before the 60’s. It included learning of slavery in the US, the civil war, and Jim Crow laws, and how black Americans have had to live with unfair disadvantages: less pay, limits in housing, etc. When I learned I felt sad, knowing my happen-in-stance of birth gave me privilege. And with that, it has made me more aware of the need to continue the work of this country when it comes to all kinds of ways to promote human worth and equality.
We are still working on what Dr. King and the Freedom Fighters wanted – and, yes, they had the right to have in America. And, sometimes, I find myself sadly amazed how slow the change for equality is, for true acceptance for all seems lost, and for all to have empathetic understanding and love to happen. Sometimes I hurt at the way our political world is unable to make positive changes. It seems to obvious. But games are played. I cringe when I see the confederate flags flying in South and North Carolina. I know the district gerrymandering in our country is to keep people from getting an equal vote. I believe the Electoral College has seen it’s best days and we live in a country that should elect leaders by a popular vote. I wish bills that would give fair & equal starts in life to all children, and equal medical needs too, would pass.
Rep. Lewis said progress is slow and it can take generations for real change. I think he is right. But – he also said don’t ever give up, don’t stop fighting the good fight, and to keep doing what you can do – big or small. It all matters.
And so I don’t. And its why at times I can not stay quiet. Not when it is about equality for all.
Marla’s Musings 