The first event, Sunday afternoon was held at the Duke Chapel. It was Duke University's 2011 Service of Celebration, and the speaker was Mr. Randall Robinson. He is an author, law professor, and a tireless leader for social justice. He has been involved in the "Free South Africa Movement" and many international freedom drives including the ending of military rule in Haiti during his 27 day hunger strike. His speech was magnificent, and included many thoughts concerning the lack of credit given to blacks in the writing of history.
For example, he claimed that the revolt in Haiti in the early 1800s, a French colony, convinced Napoleon that further intervention in the Western Hemisphere was fruitless and eventually contributed to the Louisiana Purchase by the United States. He claimed that a person cannot know himself unless he knows the history of his heritage, and he claims that much of black history has been overlooked.
The second "observance" I attended was the Annual Durham Religious Celebration held at the Kings (no relation to Dr. King) Park International Church on Monday, January 17th. This also had a rousing speaker, Dr. Clifford A. Jones, from Charlotte. He is Senior Minister of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. This evening was filled with inspiring music, and Dr Jones' peppy sermon.
I have gone to these services for multiple years, and I sometimes wonder why. I think I go, to remember history--I lived through all of this struggle--, and to remember the words and efforts of a saint of a man: Dr. King. A man with commitment, who had a vision of justice, and would not be deterred from his goals. I have read of his fears of assassination, and that his faith in God propelled him to go ahead with his protests in spite of many constant threats to his life. The story of his trip to Memphis, and his prescient speech when he says he "might not get there with you" never fails to bring tears to my eyes.
There was only one problem that I see with both of these events, and I find it every year when I attend. There are few if any white folks who attend. Is this day just a day off from work? Is it a re-hash of old history that we should forget about and move on? Are most people, younger than me, and not interested in this history because they didn't live through it? Do white folks think it doesn't apply to them, and was this history just the black folks battle for civil rights? I'm not quite certain what are the exact reasons, but I think that should change.
Dr. King was here for all of us. His message is contained in words like freedom, respect, love, tolerance, acceptance, hope, faith, peace, justice, and reconciliation. I think these words apply to all of us, and I think he believed that also. This holiday is a chance for all Americans to take a step back, and reevaluate ourselves as we continue to live in our ever changing country.
Almost two hundred and fifty years ago, when we formed this country, I believe America had a divine purpose: to demonstrate to the world that the power of a country comes not from an "ordained" king through birthright, but from the people. We successfully fulfilled that purpose. Today, I believe we have another divine purpose and that is to demonstrate to the world that a nation of diverse people can not only survive, but can thrive and excel.
Because we are such a diverse country, we need a day to think about our differences, and re-focus our attention to support these differences as we build our national strengths. Each of has our good points and our bad, but together we can reinforce each other, and build a stronger nation. Dr. King's message is a message we can all use. I hope in the future we all take the time to listen to it.
America has selected the best of the world. They don't just walk over a line, and come here. They have the obstacle of leaving a home, with friends and familiar places, and heading into the unknown: new traditions, language, people, and laws. Because there are obstacles, we attract the best and the strongest to this country. We who are here now have the opportunity to welcome them into the family of the United States. May God bless the memory of Dr. King, and help us all to live up to what he dreamed of. The celebration of Dr. King's birthday is a day for us all, black, white, brown, red and yellow. We must remember and not forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment