Exceptional A time to remember as we move forward THE INAUGURATION & MLK DAY by Marisa3

January 21, 2013 is ripe with symbolism and historical remembrances of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement. It marks the 45th year since his assassination and the 50th anniversary year of the march on Washington where Dr. King gave his "I have a dream" speech in front of the Lincoln memorial. This is also the day of Barack Obama's inauguration for his second term as president of the United States. He will be taking the oath of office with his hand on the bible that belonged to Dr. King. Additionally, Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, will give the invocation. This too will be an historical event, as she will be the first woman and layperson to deliver the invocation. While, as a nation, we will be witnessing this unique event filled with symbolic significance, we must never forget the hard fought path taken by so many for us to arrive at this monumental moment in time. 1963 was a year of racial unrest and it was filled with civil rights demonstrations. The demonstrations were fueled by the media coverage of police actions in Birmingham, Alabama, where attack dogs and fire hoses were used on protestors that were mostly in their early teens or younger. Dr. King was arrested and jailed during these protests and that was when he penned his famous "Letter From Birmingham City Jail". In the letter he advocated civil disobedience against unjust laws. The protests in Alabama, coupled with Dr. King's letter, sparked dozens of additional demonstrations across the country from California to New York, culminating in the March on Washington. (Excerpt from article by Shmuel Ross) In June of 1963 Myrlie Evers-Williams was watching President Kennedy deliver a landmark speech on civil rights, along with her three small children, when her husband Medgar came home just after midnight from a meeting with activists at a local church. Moments after getting out of his car in front of his house he was shot and killed by a sniper. Myrlie ran downstairs to find him slumped on the doorstep. He died hours later on June 12, 1963. (Excerpt from article by Shmuel Ross) Below is an excerpt from the Speech President Kennedy delivered that tragic night; I think it is important to know what the brave men and women of the time were willing to give their lives for: "If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public," said the president. "If he cannot send his children to the best public school available; if he cannot vote for the public officials who will represent him; if, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay?" It must be forever remembered that three small children lost their father on that night in June of 1963. They were the first of many black children that would lose their fathers to this cause of equality and freedom that is expressly set forth in the Declaration of Independence. Medgar Evers' assassination came at the time the civil rights movement was cresting. Myrlie said later: "We came to realize, in those last few days, last few months, that our time was short." "It was simply in the air. You knew that something was going to happen, and the logical person for it to happen to was Medgar." When Dr. King and others from the civil rights movement organized the march on Washington they carried with them a list of stated demands: the passage of meaningful civil rights legislation; the elimination of racial segregation in public schools; protection for demonstrators against police brutality; a major public-works program to provide jobs; the passage of a law prohibiting racial discrimination in public and private hiring; a $2 an hour minimum wage; and self-government for the District of Columbia, which had a black majority. (Excerpt from article by Shmuel Ross) The two noteworthy speeches of that day were given by John Lewis, who represented the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King's speech remains to this day one of the most famous speeches in American history. (Excerpt from article by Shmuel Ross) He first began with prepared remarks saying he was there to ... "cash a check" for "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." He also cautioned fellow protesters not to ... "allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force." After giving these few prepared remarks Dr. King departed from his scripted comments and shifted into the "I have a dream" speech, which still resonates today. This eloquent clergyman spoke extemporaneously to a gathering of a quarter million people. He spoke of an America where his children ... "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." He followed this with a refrain of "let freedom ring" across the nation, and concluded with: "And when this happens, when we allow freedom to 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." As we approach this solemn and historical occasion, let us be reminded of the struggles that have taken place in our nation's history to bring about the progress that has occurred thus far. May we also hold close the memory of those who died furthering the cause of racial equality and who never received the benefits of their considerable labor and great personal sacrifices. Let us go forth in an ever enlightened state and continue to champion the cause of racial equality for all in this great nation. While we have seen progress there is still much work to be done. I think it only fitting to leave you with the words of the great emancipator Abraham Lincoln: "The Declaration of Independence meant to set up a standard maxim for free society, which should be familiar to all, and revered by all; constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and even though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated, and thereby constantly spreading and deepening its influence, and augmenting the happiness and value of life to all people of all colors everywhere." Recognized Author Notes I feel very strongly that we must always be vigilant in our quest for racial equality. So many sacrifices were made to this cause and generations suffered relentlessly under the yoke of racism in our countrys history. Even as recent as this last presidential campaign we saw attempts by those who would discourage minorities from voting. We have seen in the last few years states adopting racially biased laws against Hispanics and others, because our Congress will not address comprehensive immigration reforms. This is not who we are or who we want to be. Our country is a continuing and successful experiment that is based on the equality of all of its people and their personal freedom. We cannot be a great nation until we live up to the principles that are embedded in our founding documents.

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