Dr Martin Luther King, Jr's Birthday is NOT a "Day of Service"

Tomorrow is the celebration of a great American, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. He is a man that many of us in America appreciate because he became the face of what needed to change in this country. He followed the steps of his Dad first going to Morehouse and then becoming a Pastor (Ebenezer Baptist Church). He fought for the simple things that people today take so much for granted- living where they want to live, eating where one wanted to eat, and so many similar things.

As it relates to other parts of the King family, this I know is true.
1. At least one of his living children, Dr Bernice King, is a conservative Republican and makes no bones about it.
2. His niece, Dr Alveda King, is also a conservative Republican. She is the daughter of Dr. King's youngest brother, AD King, who died in 1969. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution.
3. Dr King's parents were both Republicans. In fact, he never (from what I have seen) voted for a Democrat until JFK. Robert Kennedy called the elder King after Dr King was arrested at an Atlanta sit in. Robert Kennedy would begin to tapp King's phone in 1963. J Edgar Hoover felt that Dr King was a communist.

Many know the significant events of Dr King's life as well and those can easily be blogged about individually. All that he did had a purpose. When dealing with Birmingham Bus company driver told then 42 year old passenger Rosa Parks to give up her seat (by the same driver she had a similar issue with years prior) and arrested, what did he do? He called a boycott of that company. That lasted over a year and eventually had his home bombed over that issue. The result was the US District court’s decision concerning Browder vs. Gayle, which ended legal racial segregation. It also began a battle with Jim Crow laws, which only were directed toward Black people. Leading marches against Jim Crow in places, like Selma, Alabama (Bloody Sunday, 1965), Chicago and its relationship to fair housing (1966), not to mention the Washington, 1963, where Dr King's Dream was shared with the world. The "I've been to the Mountaintop" speech was a prophetic as you could get when he said "I may not get there with you" but knew what he had to do. Less than one week after that speech, he was murdered. The Memphis Sanitation Workers strike, resulting from discrimination, unfair wages and conditions, would start in late February, 1968. This strike ended 8 days after Dr King was killed.


I decided to post the speeches below:

"I Have a Dream"


"I've been to the Mountaintop"




So after mentioning all of this (barely scratching the surface), how is it that this man's life can be treated so trivially? What do I mean? Under President Ronald Reagan, the first steps to honor this man were signed into law in 1983. Not long thereafter, President George H.W. Bush sealed the deal, assuring that it would remain a fixture in 1989.

This man gave his life to make the lives of others better so HOW in the world did this day become a "Day of Service" all of a sudden? Who came up with this? Who decided that instead of reflecting on the life and contributions of this great man and the examples he gave the world, only to turn it into nothing less than Arbor Day? National Day of Service???????? Please!!! If someone said it would be "Day of Justice", "Day of Freedom" or something of the like, I would have no problem with it at all. These are the qualities (two of many) that this man represented. So how is it that all of a sudden someone wants to call it a day of service? Or better yet, why? I wonder how much of Dr King's life, lessons and messages will be mentioned tomorrow. I am somewhat angry because this makes no sense whatsoever. It seems like someone want to keep the message but forget the messenger. Either that or someone had a bit too much time on their hands. What was wrong with it before? Schools and organizations would present fantastic events to celebrate Dr King's life and ideology. So why stop? You can easily pick a National Day of Service among 300-plus days of the year. Why do this on Dr King's birthday is beyond me. National Day of Service. Get real!! Then again, the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln either are celebrated as Presidents day or individually depending on where you live (Lincoln's birthday is a state holiday in Illinois). Then again, someone wanted to turn 9-11 into a day of service not a day of remembrance. Same thing at play here.

Dr King, who would have turned 81 this year had he lived, had an influence beyond his own borders. It's a shame that the people of Ireland (whose "Bloody Sunday" resulted in 14 dead men half of which were under 20 and countless others injured) might have a better understanding of this day that Americans do. If that day ever comes, shame on America as a people. National Day of Service? Give me a break!!! That's just me.