Forty years ago the Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
He was a man who has been made into a myth. He was hated by many during his life, but now is seen as a man who was not a threat, who was a change-maker. Other people have erased his flaws and see him as a man who made no mistakes. He was a courageous man who was fearful of death and yet still worked to do what he felt was best, he continued to move forward. He did all the things he did because he wanted to transform America. He was paranoid toward the end of his life -- but it was not unwarranted. Look what ended up happening to him. Look at how his life was ended. He was able to anticipate his own death and used death to remind people of the price to be paid and how his martyrdom could further the cause for which the people around him were willing to die.
No one knows what he would believe in during today's time, but during his time he wanted to gain the freedom of black people and poor people throughout the nation. I'm sure he would be pursuing the rights of many today, but who knows.
I do know that the man died too early. The man did not get to finish his job here on the earth.
He and Malcolm X were killed before they could fully see their visions come to fruition.
But I guess that in some ways, their visions have not completely developed.
There is still a way to go before there is full equality in this nation. In all areas -- race, gender, sexual identity, ethnicity, home language, political beliefs, economic classes, you name it, there are still people pushing to discriminate against their group.
Take some time today to think about what some of the Civil Rights leaders embodied. Think about what we have overcome. Think about whether we have lived up to their legacies.
And once you have thought about that, think about what you can do to help achieve a better society. There is so much you can do and some of it is really small.