Martin Luther King Jr.

I am inspired by Dr. King. What a noble thing to stand up for what you feel so strongly. We had a great discussion as a family on what this day is all about. We watched his speech during the march on Washington. We then watched the speech he gave at a small gathering in Mississippi right before he was assassinated. You could feel the tension. We watched Walter Cronkite break the news of Martin Luther King's death on his nightly broadcast. We then watched Robert Kennedy break the news to the people he was with and give a great message about the choice we have to choose our reaction and decide what direction we want to head. We then listened to a recording of Robert Kennedy being assassinated.

Lots to talk about. Lots to be grateful for. The boys really got a feel for the upheaval in the country. For the fear and tension that comes with change. And for the importance of standing up in a quiet (or sometimes not so quiet) firm way for what we believe.

I hope to be as strong in those things I value. Our country's educational system comes to mind. What can I do to support good legislation or bring about desperately needed changes? Mike also pointed out the necessity of patience. The changes "officially" started with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and then the Civil Rights movement started to really push in the early nineteen-fifties and still lasted for about another fifteen years. Important cases and decisions are still being made in order to eliminate discrimination. Am I willing to remain steady and be consistent in the direction I choose, and hang in for the long term? I hope so, for as Martin Luther King so eloquently stated in a letter from a jail in Birmingham, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly."

I am so grateful for a country where freedom is talked about, fought about, written about, cherished, and made possible. I am also grateful for time spent with my husband helping my children gain an understanding of their past and an appreciation of the present.