Jordan Coll/ Staff Writer
As we start off this upcoming month, taking a moment to admire Martin Luther King Jr.’s pursuit of social reform throughout the 1960s is frame of history worth remembering.
As I look at today’s political climate on how far apart both conservatives and liberals have become, the barrier keeps getting higher and higher. Why is there such a high prevailing force of divisiveness seen in minority groups today? It seems to me there is more conflict than resolve.
In such trying times we need to remind ourselves how far we have come in terms of our nation’s heritage, civility, and fought social justice.
“Honoring the past and empowering the future” was the theme for this year’s 28th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration. Events such as these remind us of the existing influence social activists like King still has until this very day.
Events like these creates a profound reality of what our history truly represents.
King is known by many as a social reformist and an instigator of social change. Aspiring to see a community in which “one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character” prevailing words still resounding until this day.
Heritage is an important aspect behind these federal holidays. It means more than just a day off but it gravitates towards a common struggle of accomplishing the unthinkable.
During the times of King, racial unrest was the status quo, segregation was the enemy of time and especially social ridicule.
The opposition we are facing today towards particular minority groups such as Black Lives Matter or the Me Too Movement is simply an understatement. Is it that hard to just come together and see each other as equals?
A lifestyle King dreamed would one day be fulfilled.
The challenges faced in the past dealt with racial hatred while seemingly in today’s modern society we face a more socially charged era. The idea behind “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” can be applied in a world in which separation would not be related to type of skin color we have or the level of wealth we possess.
We should learn to appreciate the attributes we all carry within, one beaming legacy.
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