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MLK Day: A day we should celebrate all year

By Scott Beasley | January 16, 2008 |

January 21st is Dr. Martin Luther King Day,

Dr. King was an American leader, not solely a leader for African-Americans. He taught us to fight racism and bigotry with intelligence, knowledge, and education, not violence. He wanted people of every color to have the same rights and opportunities, and tremendous progress has been made in those arenas for which he is directly responsible.

Sadly, we still have a long way to go and I’m not sure some will ever view others as equals because of their skin color. Skin color is a descriptive characteristic holding no more importance than eye color or height. Unfortunately, no matter how people are viewed, some only see the differences among ourselves in a negative way.

Racism, which is defined as the belief that a particular race is superior to another, or as discrimination or prejudice based on genetically transmitted physical characteristic, does have its place in our society. It should be used as a reminder of how NOT to act. It should be a sobering account of our historical ignorance. It should serve as a tool so that we may never forget what some people have experienced in the greatest country the world has ever seen.

Dr. King exemplified a spirit of opposition to ignorance and a willingness to confront it using his intellect. He evaluated people on the content of their character and did not judge them by the color of their skin. He was truly a great leader; just imagine what might have been had he not been taken from us when he was. We should all celebrate this day with enthusiasm no matter what the color of our skin.

It still befuddles me why some still insist on making race an issue to suit their backward and regressive agendas. I hope that one day we will see a world without racism and bigotry, but I feel as though both have become so deeply ingrained in some areas of society that it will take generations to make it less prevalent, to tamp it down.

What we can do today is celebrate this wonderful holiday with enthusiasm and strive for the ideals and goals Dr. King spoke and preached. With hard work, determination, compassion, and searching your heart to do what is right, we can ALL reach the mountaintop. We can ALL enjoy the freedoms this wonderful contry provides. We can ALL overcome the obstacles and live together in relative peace and harmony. We can ALL share his wonderful dream.

About Scott Beasley

I was born in Charleston, SC. I moved to Tennessee in 1977 and into Clarksville in 1989. I am currently employed by a shipping company and recently got married. I am conservative in most of my political views and I oppose government waste with a passion. I believe in personal responsibility and accountability. As far as my stance on the issues, I am against abortion, against the death penalty, I believe we did the right thing by invading Iraq(but we've made many mistakes since that decision), I believe we are over-taxed by an inefficient government at all levels, and I'm against gay marriage(though I have no problem with homosexuality, I believe it should be called a civil union and they should have all the rights as married couples.) I abhor racism and believe Martin Luther King to be the greatest asset to civil rights this country has ever seen. I believe a person should be viewed by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. I'm a Christian and believe the biggest problem in society today is abortion. I recently graduated from APSU and will now continue my education towards a degree in Political Science.

Web Site: http://www.myspace.com/beazgod

Email: beazgod@msn.com

Sections: Opinion
Topics: bigotry, Civil Rights, Discrimination, Martin Luther King Jr, Racism

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