Martin Luther King Got it Right!

While sitting around watching the Cowboys/Seahawks game, a game I hope Dallas loses, we got to talking about potential plans for the Inauguration. Estimates call for about 4M people to attend. We all noted that the fact that the Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday, the day immediately before the Inauguration, will no doubt make it more convenient for people out of state to come. This will result in more people lining the parade route, which of course will make it more difficult for us to get a great view.

It's all about my friends and me...;))

However, the mention of MLK, Jr. made me think of how ironic it is that Barack Obama, an American of African decent, will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, the very day after the commemoration of the martyred Civil Rights leader. This, in turn made me think about the core theme of what Martin Luther King, Jr. was all about: Equality. What Martin Luther King, Jr. said, essentially, was give African-Americans a chance. If given a chance at equal education and equal opportunity, black people could both attain much but also contribute to the United States in a measure equal to whites.

Fast forward 40 years.

Barack Obama must have been about 8 when King was assassinated. However one could argue that young Barack was an example of what King had argued. He had equal access to education and opportunity. Barack Obama also took full advantage of his education and made opportunities. In other words, both he and his wife Michelle, worked their asses off!

But Barack Obama is not unique. Oh, to be sure he is unique in that he is a human being, and as such he, like everyone, is a unique creation. But the work that MLK, Jr. and others accomplished through from the late 1950s throughout the 1960s, enabled African-Americans. Come to downtown Washington, DC any weekday morning. You'll find African-Americans excelling in whatever their chosen careers.

So what's they lesson here? Martin Luther King, Jr. got it right. Black people and other Americans of color can achieve and with drive, determination, vision, and smarts are contributing to America...now when we need it most.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk