The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
George Hoey - A Personal Perspective:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day serves as a reminder to me of someone who took an unprecedented stance for good to help create change for others, and for our country. He exemplified what it means to be a visionary for positive change with the belief and conviction that our nation could be better and could treat all people as equals. He believed that our country could be a better place for all of us. As a young man of color growing up in the South, I grew up with colored water fountains, back entries to buildings, segregation and discrimination. Martin Luther King, Jr. paved the way for me and for many others to have better opportunities in this country. I worked hard and I studied hard. My family moved to Michigan, and I earned a football scholarship to the University of Michigan, where I also ran track. On April 4, 1968, I had just checked into a hotel for an away track meet when MLK’s death came on the news. It was shocking and devastating to me personally, to my fellow teammates and to America. He made the ultimate sacrifice.
We are not there yet. We have more work to do, but surely, we, as individuals, can commit to achieving those goals for far less. We can all use our skills, talents, and abilities to effectuate positive change in our own lives, in our communities and in our country.
What does Martin Luther King Jr. and this day mean to you? Please comment below.
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Author: George Hoey
January 18, 2021
January 18, 2021
Comments 1
Edward Pohlert
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – I walked in from the playground (10 years old) and saw my Mom sitting there glued to the television on April 4, 1968. They were showing the speech to sanitation workers the day before. I didn’t know who he was as new immigrant two years before in 1966. My mom was crying and told me that he was important to the world and U.S. I felt empathy and wanted to know more as a child. This led me to be a warrior for justice wherever I went. I ended up in a career in higher education as a counselor, administrator, faculty, but most of all as a mentor.
Dr. King “modeled in action” with many justice warriors what it took to persist, thrive, and stay resilient. By serving others with compassion, empathy, resolve, and justice, he developed a movement that lives within our better angels. As we are provoked, we become stronger in spirit, love, and resistance to oppression. Terimah Kasi