A Day to Reflect

I was in the third grade when the March on Washington happened. I was in the 8th grade in 1968 when Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were murdered.

But, like other late baby boomers I have seen the news clips so many times that sometimes I think I must have been there. (Just like it's hard to remember that I was also too young for the Moratorium or Woodstock or any number of culture events of my childhood and youth.)

I, of course, have read the sermons and the speeches, and I cry everytime I am in a group or church where people sing "We shall overcome." When Senator Obama said in Iowa "this is a day that some said would never come", I teared up in recognition.

But we are not done with racism...or sexism...or homophobia...or stupid wars. I often quote Reverend King -- "injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere." And that's as true today in 2008 as it was in the 1960's.

And that's why Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday is a day for reflection, for recommitment, or asking ourselves what we can do to create the beloved community for us all. I hope you'll ask yourself.