On this day, I can think of no other American greater than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. King, possibly the most incredible speaker of all time, advanced civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi.
In 1963, Dr. King gave the world a blueprint for achieving our true human potential and destiny when King helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
On October 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. On April 4, 1968, King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, by James Earl Ray.
Dr. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2003. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a holiday in cities and states throughout the United States beginning in 1971; the holiday was enacted federally by legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.
In my opinion, we have two choices to move forward:
1) We can continue to segregate, fight among ourselves, and ignorantly believe that one country, race, religion, and sexual orientation will eventually kill off all other rivals.
2) We can continue to educate and enact legislation around the concept that all people are created equal and deserve the same opportunities to prosper.
Diversity is America's most significant advantage because America is a melting pot that proves that people from entirely different countries, races, religions, sex, and sexual orientations can work together and live side by side.
And the rest of the world is watching this experiment closely! Humankind depends on the global principle of embracing diversity.
If no two snowflakes are alike, then no two people can be alike, so remember, you are unique, just like everyone else.
Thank you, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for using your brilliance, talent, and inspiration to remind us all that we should only judge each other by the character in our hearts.
Comentários