Today we have no school and for a lot students that means that they can sleep in and watch endless hours of Netflix originals. But there is a name behind this “no school Monday.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., born Michael King, was an activist, minister, and leader of the civil rights movement. He is not only an icon of his decade, but forever a symbol of peace and equality. He is an inspiration to anyone who has ever heard of him and a personal hero of mine, one of my most favorite people.
During the civil rights movement, the black community demanded equality and were prepared to get that equality by any means; they were through being treated as less than and would not be silenced. However, the people were divided on how to achieve that equality.
There was Malcolm X, who, at an earlier point in his life, spoke of hate and violence. Fighting fire with fire will simply destroy the forest. King always understood this first.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to me, is the bigger man because I know that he had to have considered or at least been tempted by violence; he had to have known that the more he preached about peace, the more danger he was getting himself into. But he still chose peace.
Everything he said, he lived and he meant it all. There was nothing but hope and love living inside him. Every time he spoke he spoke with grace and intelligence. He spoke about acceptance, togetherness and unity. He was a beautiful man with a beautiful mind and with a dream, a dream that should have come true by now and a dream that he will never witness.
He knew he himself wouldn’t see peace, but he wasn’t fighting for his own rights, but for everyone else’s rights and for his family. He knew he was going to die before it all came true and he accepted that. Nobody deserves to die, but I believe in my heart that this man did nothing but offer his companionship in exchange for being treated like a decent human being and they couldn’t even do that.
More should be done to honor him. If we all shared his mindset for just one day, we would all prosper. I’m a better person today because of all he did then. I encourage everyone to at least try to channel his mindset for one day out of the year. The whole world would be better for it.
YESENIA PACHECO
VoiceWaves
We honor our great leaders, not only through remembering, but through actions that further their visions for a better world. Our youth call on YOU to take action on this auspicious day. Follow this link to donate or get involved: https://blacklivesmatter.com/take-action/