Honoring Martin Luther King

In one of my many history university classed, we were required to select a historical novel focusing on a notable historical event in the 1960s. My interest in history is further back, but this gave me an opportunity to become more familiar with events that actually happened a little closer to me, and one that many of my family members were alive to see. Obviously, I had many events to choose from, but while I was going through the loads of books offered at the school library, I recall as a child remembering coming home from school and watching on our television selections of Martin Luther King's famous speech in Washington D.C. I was fascinated with it, and in my child's mind couldn't really understand the concept of segregation of races, because we didn't live that way where I was (but we also didn't have a large mix of races either). I selected a book focused on him.

In the book, there were a lot of pointers about how human he was, how he had some definite weaknesses like all other human beings; however, it was those fallible characteristics that made him more extraordinary. The whole point of the book was to show how such an imperfect man could be so influential for good, that a normal person was capable of doing great things. And that's what made the man so inspiring, for if he, a clear normal human being with weaknesses, could inspire a whole generation to rethink and turn around the fallacies of past practices, then so can others. I would like to say he turned around the fallacies of past thinking, but I'm afraid that part is still quite alive.

I already had some respect for the man, but the book gave me a different perspective that helped me appreciate him more. He had some great intentions that were influential enough to change our country for the better, and it didn't require him to be a superhuman.

I've known so many good people of all races, who are genuinely wonderful and beautiful people, and don't deserve all the garbage people throw at them. Yes, there are bad apples, but that's a problem of humanity, not a problem of a specific race.

Yet another pointer: There are many out there who are ignorant, but not intentionally so. They grew up in places where racism didn't exist, mostly due to not having the exposure. They are good people, but have grown up with very imperfect ideas. I know many of them. I could be one of them myself, having grown up in a similar environment. Please try your best to exert kindness, even if your opinion differs. That act can go a long way. 

Kindness has no boundaries. Keep it alive.