Credit where Honor is due ( 04 / 04 / 2015 )
Credit where Honor is due ( 04 / 04 / 2015 )
47 years ago today , Martin Luther King Jr . was murdered in Memphis , and a Great Voice for Peace was seemingly silenced -- and the world rightfully mourned both his passing and the apparent fading of his Great Dream . Indeed , I myself have recently heard others publicly pronouncing that Martin Luther King Jr . fully failed in his Mission of Love -- that because our world is still an often vile & violent place ( e . g . the ongoing aggressions of ISIS and the U . S . drone attacks that inspire them ), that his efforts bore no lasting fruits and made no lasting difference .
Well , in honor of this most noble man who so courageously championed a most noble of causes , I unabashedly say that these opinions are nothing more than pure HOGWASH ... Martin Luther King Jr . did make a difference . He inspired thousands to transcend a significant portion of their personal bigotries , he inspired hundreds of thousands to stand up against all forms of injustice , and he inspires millions to this day to make our world a more Peace-full place in which to live . And to back up this more-than-mild claim I offer the following oftforgotten facts :
* Fact # 01 ) During the less than 13 years of Dr . Martin Luther King , Jr .’ s leadership of the Civil Rights Movement , African Americans achieved more progress toward racial equality in the United States than their previous 350 years combined …
* Fact # 02 ) Dr . King is to this day internationally recognized as America ’ s preeminent advocate for nonviolence and as one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in the history of humankind …
* Fact # 03 ) While others were advocating for freedom by ― any means necessary ‖ ( including violence ), Martin Luther King , Jr . used the power of words peaceful-yet-passionate and acts of nonviolent resistance to achieve seeminglyimpossible goals ; including the effectuation of the Civil Rights Act & the Voting Right Act …
* Fact # 04 ) Dr . King ’ s ― I Have a Dream ‖ speech , Nobel Peace Prize lecture , and ― Letter from a Birmingham Jail ‖ are among the most honored orations and writings in the English language … They are still revered & studied to this very day , and to this day all of them still provide inspiration to hundreds of thousands ( if not millions ) of people all around the world …
* Fact # 05 ) Martin Luther King ’ s courageous accomplishments are now taught to American children of all races ( indeed , to children all around the world ), and his teachings are studied by scholars and students worldwide as well … He is the only non-President to have a national holiday dedicated in his honor , and is the only non-President listed on the Great Mall in the nation ’ s capitol …
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