Today is Martin Luther King Day. It’s a national holiday here in the U.S.A.. Post offices, banks, schools and some government offices are closed. Most businesses remain open. It’s a holiday that goes largely ignored by the corporate world. Granted, MLK Day is our youngest national holiday, being first celebrated in 1986. It’s intended to honor the great civil rights leader, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I don’t understand racism. I suspect that it’s driven by fear– fear of the unknown. And yet, I understand why MLK Day is a non-event for so many white people: most of us haven’t been on the receiving end of discrimination. It’s difficult to comprehend the significance of civil rights when your own rights haven’t been trampled on.
In the words of Dr. King, “…I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” I have a lot of hope for the future, but I still need to consider; how am I personally supporting equality? Is it enough to simply look past the color of someone’s skin, or am I called to do more?