So many of our national holidays have evolved into an adjunct to another three-day weekend and a theme for shopping at the mall.
But every once in awhile, something comes along to jar us back to reality and to appreciate the true meaning of the observance.
The first Independence Day after 9-11 had more of a feeling of patriotism and national pride than it had in years. This year, that feeling may come to the obervance of the 74th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In his lifetime, Dr. King battled the cruder forms of racism and hatred. He grew up in Georgia in a time when segregated accomodations, lynchings, burning crosses, Klan rallies and the “n-word” were a part of the everyday life of the African-American community.
Nearly four decades after he delivered the stirring “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., those acts are “old school” segregation. They have been outlawed or banished by social awareness. They would be shocking events in 21st Century America. Today, we face a more insidious form of discrimination, one that wears a polite face while being equally wrong. But every once in awhile, strains of the past can be heard.
In December, U.S. Sen. Trent Lott reminded everyone that the job of ending hatred and racism is far from over. At a birthday party for retiring Sen. Strom Thurmond, Lott praised Thurmond’s 1948 presidential candidacy and claimed that we would have avoided a lot of problems over the years had Thurmond been elected. Thurmond had run as a committed segregationist.
While Lott’s comments showed the nation that Dr. King’s dream is still a work in progress, the punishment meted out to Lott showed that perhaps one element has become a part of the social fabric of America.
Lott was eased out of his leadership position by his own party. He was judged by the apparent content of his character, not the color of his skin.
That alone is a reason to celebrate the efforts of Dr. King this year.
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