This day in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King was murdered. Had he lived he would have been 80. He probably would have still been alive. He would have been a leader and we would have been better off for it.
There are many days in our lives that we remember vividly. I remember the day that Dr. King was murdered. I also remember the days we lost JFK, RFK and Malcolm X and these memories have made me a sadder person. These senseless acts of violence in another country have affected my life.
Have we learned anything in the past 41 years? Have we moved past those bigoted times? Are we better as a Nation? Are we better as individuals?
In 2008 the USA elected a black man as President. That is one indication. Unfortunately, the same people who voted Barak Obama into office took away the rights of millions of people, black and white, with another stroke of the same pen. The Same Sex Marriage laws of two States were overturned that day. People who love each other and want to share their lives are prevented from doing so. The bigotry is still alive but has shifted to another component of our society. The sand is being kicked in someone else's face.
One huge step forward followed by an equally huge step backward. Martin would have been proud and sad at the same time. As am I.
Something died in all of us on April 4, 1968. The Dreamer is dead but The Dream will live on.
Watched "Milk" tonight about Harvey Milk a gay city councilor from San Francisco in the late '70s. A movie you might like even if Sean Penn did win a prize for it. Civil rights is good, huh.
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