Martin Luther King preached love, nonviolence, brotherhood... how is it we are now headed in the wrong direction?
The March on Washington occurred in 1963- seems people in the US have not learned much in the last 54 years. Before the decade of the 1960s was over, it was no longer legal to deny anyone housing, employment, or jobs on the basis of race. Much of these accomplishments were due to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and all the other Civil Rights activists who put their lives on the line- including those who lost their lives- to make equal rights, equal dignity, and equal opportunities a reality.
Today, though, there are individuals and groups who essentially say these people- and their lives and deaths- did not matter. This is not acceptable. The theme is again separateness, the theme again is segregation. It should not have come as a surprise to see news stories of college campuses where students have been pressing for 'separate' facilities, when individuals and groups press for '-Communities,' '-Villages': voluntary segregation. It is not about justice, it is not about equality, it is about returning to the divisions that existed in the past.
The wrongness- and its potential for destruction- was acknowledged in the past.
In 1858, a speech by Abraham Lincoln contained the relevant statement: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
In 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that separate is indeed not equal.
And, in 1964, Martin Luther King included in his speech: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
The March on Washington occurred in 1963- seems people in the US have not learned much in the last 54 years. Before the decade of the 1960s was over, it was no longer legal to deny anyone housing, employment, or jobs on the basis of race. Much of these accomplishments were due to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and all the other Civil Rights activists who put their lives on the line- including those who lost their lives- to make equal rights, equal dignity, and equal opportunities a reality.
Today, though, there are individuals and groups who essentially say these people- and their lives and deaths- did not matter. This is not acceptable. The theme is again separateness, the theme again is segregation. It should not have come as a surprise to see news stories of college campuses where students have been pressing for 'separate' facilities, when individuals and groups press for '-Communities,' '-Villages': voluntary segregation. It is not about justice, it is not about equality, it is about returning to the divisions that existed in the past.
The wrongness- and its potential for destruction- was acknowledged in the past.
In 1858, a speech by Abraham Lincoln contained the relevant statement: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
In 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that separate is indeed not equal.
And, in 1964, Martin Luther King included in his speech: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”