By Daniel Bosques
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day serves as an opportunity for all of us to stop and reflect on our own thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors.
In the spirit of Dr. King’s unwavering and messages of hope, perseverance, enacting peaceful change, and equality for all, we have a responsibility to our fellow Americans to take a personal inventory of ourselves.
Are we individually doing our part to show love, compassion, fairness, and acceptance to our neighbors?
Do we demonstrate strength of character, respectful responses to opposing viewpoints, intolerance of unfair policies? Do we show love to others through our words and our deeds?
Taking a moment to stop and think about our individual answers to these questions just might lead to the self-awareness that may act as a catalyst for necessary change.
There has never been a time in our collective American history that Dr. King’s messages of equality and hope have not been relevant. As a nation, we have come a long way from our tarnished history of slavery, oppression, Jim Crow segregation, and the overt mistreatment of large populations of Americans.
However, we must acknowledge that we still have very far to go in reaching the type of country that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Recent events in our country have forced Americans to face a stark reality that they had long been oblivious of (or complacent to ignore) - that is, that people of color in this country continue to face racism in many facets of their lives; most disturbingly, systemically.
While the current state of our nation may be discouraging for some, we must embrace the fact that as Americans, each one of us is empowered to make the changes we wish to see in our society. We might start by taking today to revisit the eloquent, awe-inspiring, and world-changing words of one of the greatest Americans who ever lived.
To hear five of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speeches, click here.
The lessons of the past can serve as the answers to creating a better future that includes all Americans.
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