Look How Far We've Come

While watching A Very Educational Oprah today, I am a more than a little appalled to be reminded that in 1965, it was necessary to introduce an Act (the National Voting Rights Act of 1965) to enforce the right of African Americans to vote. That was just a little over 40 years ago. That was over a hundred years after the 15th amendment, which was intended to give all men the right to vote. It's mind boggling to me to think that it took that long to truly secure them that right. In view of that injustice it's amazing that this week we inaugurated our first African American president.

Professor Oprah also taught me more about Martin Luther King. He really did have a beautiful way of speaking and inspiring and uplifting.


"I've been to the mountaintop." Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Speech




His last sermon played at his funeral.

Did you know that there were states that were resistant to instating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? It's true. The last holdout, according to Wikipedia, was New Hampshire in 2000. There have been states that have called it simply Civil Rights Day or Human Rights Day. And there are states that call the day Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Day. Try putting that on a calendar. And according to my google search, it looks like some people over yonder still call it Civil Rights day. I found a current district calendar that has it marked as Civil Rights Day on their calendar.

I kind of get why certain states chose to focus on civil rights and human rights-- they were trying to focus on a larger issue, instead of one point in history (at least I assume their actions were well intended, instead of being slimy and despicable). Don't you think, though, that seeing the terrible cruelties at that time against African Americans (the footage of the mistreatment of the peaceful protesters Oprah showed us was disturbing), and hearing the inspiring words of that great American leader is inspiration to care more about the broader issues? I personally think that Americans are smart enough to figure out how his message translates to issues today.

If you haven't heard the full speech or haven't seen it in a while, it's worth the ten minutes.

"And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"