“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional Love will have the final word.”
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
Here’s wishing everyone a safe, sane Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
For many of us, today is always something of a day of mourning: not only mourning the loss of a great civil rights leader, but also mourning the turn our great nation seemed to take in recent years.
Sadly, it wasn’t really a turn. It’s just that much of the racism that still exists in the U.S. was hiding in the shadows until not long ago. The white supremacy movement, the ironically-named Proud Boys, seemed to have been relegated to the fringes. Five years ago, they stormed the Capitol.
Perhaps there’s some good here. Like a wound that will heal sooner if exposed to the air, maybe it’s best that the bandage has been ripped off the pervasive racism that continues to fester in so many communities.
Still, it’s painfully obvious we have a long, long way to go. Most young people today don’t carry the absurd racist and homophobic beliefs many of their elders did. But as the new generation comes of age, we have to equip them with the tools to create real, lasting change.
Therein, perhaps, lie our greatest challenges.
So however you celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, take a moment to reflect on how you can help in the struggle in the years to come. We’ll need every voice, every vote, and every action, from the greatest to the smallest, to win the battle over the forces of ignorance and hate. As Warren Zevon wrote, They say love conquers all / You can’t start it like a car / You can’t stop it with a gun.
