Reflection: Martin Luther King Jr.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who knew it takes time for attitudes to change, would not have been surprised that nearly two decades after his death were required to make his birthday a legal holiday. His birthday, Jan. 15, is a national holiday, celebrated on the third Monday of January, created in 1985. "It doesn't really matter with me now," he declared the night before his assassination, "because I've been to the mountaintop ... and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land."

I love MLK day; a day for embracing the change of our nation and the civil rights movement. If you have a minute, take time to listen to the famous speech delivered in 1963 to more than 200,000 civil-rights marchers at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. If you don't want to listen to those two excerpts from his most memorable soliloquy, you can view it in PDF format here. Every year I listen to at least one speech from Dr. King just to keep the dream alive. Even if it's only in my mind.

It was nice to have the day off of school today to celebrate the life and freedom of a people and culture that was ignored and taken advantage of for centuries. That being said, our country and civil rights has come a long way. It's hard to believe that less than 40 years ago, America had separate drinking fountains for whites and blacks and "colored balconies" in movie theaters. So as we remember the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., let us recognize the full depth of his faith and vision — not just the antiseptic version that has now become part of our official culture.