MLK

Last night I watched a program about Martin Luther King on PBS. There was so much film footage. It is always painfull to watch, see and hear the history of America as it relates to the Civil Rights Era. There was a man that walked down a country road in Mississippi. His walk was a protest. There were television camaras around him filming as he walked and a few seconds into the clip, he's on the ground shot.

The United States has come a long way, but we aren't there yet. Martin Luther King, Jr. was 39 years old when he was assassinated. The program showed footage of him speaking to others on an airplane. He talked about knowing, having the feeling that his life was going to end at the hands of another. What courage and conviction it took to keep going, to keep speaking, to keep asking America to do what they said they would do on paper, referring to the Constitution. To be beat, stoned, bricked, spit on, attacked by dogs, tear gased, have people yell hatefull things at you with rage, disdain and hate in their hearts because your skin has more melanin...It's courageous. I am so appreciative for all of the sacrifices of blood, sweat, tears, families and life itself. I am a beneficiary. We are all beneficiaries . There were African-Americans, whites, Jews, Muslims, Christians and countless others that committed themselves to the cause of Civil Rights. I honor all of them for their sacrifices.

We have come a long way. We have a long way to go.