One word comes to my mind when I think about Dr. Martin Luther King : Courage!
To not only look adversity in its face but to chop at its knees with peace and love until it toppled over takes courage like no other.
Growing up, I read, heard, watched documentaries, and did book reports on the civil rights era in the South. To have to drink from a different water fountain, to have to be refused service in a restaurant, to have to sit in the back of a bus all because of the color of your skin still baffles me, but it is what it was!
I remember arguing the point that MLK and Gandhi were fools because they turned the other cheek when they were striked by the oppressors. I sided with Malcolm X because of his approach : you strike me, I strike back.
As, I've gotten older and wiser, I realize that I was the fool all along. MLK's kind and caring spirit was a 100 times stronger and more effective than a punch, ammunition, or knives. Who knows where this country would be if it wasn't for MLK's leadership! I thank God for him!
My favorite quote from MLK is "We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now"
How simple but so true! Racism and prejudice still exists. People who believe that it doesnt, really irk me. If you know me, then you know race is 90% of my jokes. I came from a diverse city in Conyers, GA. While some people walked around racial relations like egg shells, I always embraced it and tried to make light of it. I am extremely proud of my black history and the roads that Dr. King and all of the civil right leaders paved for me.
Rest in Peace, Dr. King and thank you so much for your efforts!
Fatdreek
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