Martin Luther King Day

Last night, I did the perfect thing to get ready for MLK Day. I watched 1964: American Experience on PBS. (Link leads to full show.)

What heady days those were. I'd almost forgotten, though I lived through them. I was a senior in high school in 1964. This show puts the whole explosive era in context.

It was a year of wild racial tensions, civil rights marches and the murder of three young people working for voting rights in Mississippi. At the same moment, the Beatles came to America and Bob Dylan released "The Times They Are A'Changing". Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" was published, and women everywhere were waking up and demanding full rights.

Martin Luther King was a heroic, able leader for the nonviolent civil rights movement that was busting out all over the country. And of all people, Lyndon Johnson successfully pushed for the passage of the Civil Rights Act. It was a year when student activists, enlightened by working in the South during Freedom Summer, brought their activism back to schools, and an era of student activism was born.

It was a year like no other, and Martin Luther King, Jr. was one powerful element among many. But it was King and his brave followers who brought success to the push for civil rights. He was a leader when one was desperately needed, and he was the right man for the job.

There's so much more in that American Experience show. It was the year the new, brain-dead Republican era began. Listening to the campaign promises of Goldwater, the GOP candidate, was like listening to the Tea Party of today. And that convention brought Ronald Reagan to the notice of Republicans. Thus, it was the beginning of true civil rights in our country and the advent of ugly, small-minded, backward Republicanism. It seems the birth of our country occurred in 1964.

If you get a chance, watch the show. It raised my blood pressure as it brought those times back to life. And it reminded me of heroes and villains, and their perpetual place in our country's history.

Today, we celebrate one of the heroes. Do something kind today as you remember this great man.

Martin Luther King Day

I may hate holidays, but not this one. I loved this man. He was a shining light and a courageous leader. Who knows where the country would be with respect to race relations if Martin Luther King, Jr. had never existed? Although I typically make fun of America's hollow, empty holidays, this day is a different story.

Unfortunately, two "friends" smudged the holiday for me. On MLK Day a few years back, I called these two people, a married couple whom I considered among my closest friends. And they made fun of the day and the man. I won't repeat the things they said. Trust me that they were sickening.

After I called them out for being racist pigs, I never spoke to them again. If I met them in the street today, I would shun them. You don't get to make fun of this man, at least not in my presence. You just don't. So now I think of MLK Day not only as a holiday to cheer the man and his accomplishments -- but as a day to watch others and see how they react.

I have found that MLK Day is a shining marker that separates the decent people from the racist pigs. You can try this yourself. Feel people out today about their feelings for the man and the holiday. On the one hand, it's a sad thing to do with such a meaningful holiday. But you'll learn who among your friends is a good person, and who is an animal. This can be useful. So: enjoy the day and remember the man. But remember that it also makes racist pigs drool with hatred.

In a way, I wish those "friends" had never said those things, never sullied the day for me. I liked my Martin Luther King holiday better before. So maybe I shouldn't have mentioned this today. But I find truth attractive; I don't try to avoid it. MLK Day is an inspiring day for most Americans. And it also provides a way to tell the good people from the bad. And that's a fact.

Now, let's end on a high note. Here's Martin Luther King, Jr., the day before his death:

"And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

Sometimes people can say religious things, and it's perfectly all right. That was one of them.