Dr. King Turned Hopeless Into Hopeful

CLEVELAND - Given the blatantly racist climate of the 1960's, it's a wonder that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wasn't destroyed long before he was. But his uncompromised drive to bring together a segregated nation continues improving our society, if only in small and imperceptible doses.

But, because of him, we have hope.

Today is the annual celebration of King's legacy. For the past 24 years, he has been honored with a national holiday that was initially rejected by "the powers that be." Knowing how much resistance that he received when he tried to bring us all together during his lifetime, the difficulty of making a King holiday a reality was apparent long before it was proposed. But I believe that every one of us Americans owe him a debt of gratitude. King wasn't about championing Blacks to the exclusion of everyone else. He was in fact, very inclusive. He wanted civil and equal rights for everyone. It just so happened that Blacks were the most disrespected in this country during the Civil Rights Movement.

At a time when mainstream acceptance for Blacks seemed like a pipe dream of fantastical proportions, Dr. King, with his stubborn determination and convictions gave us hope. With his legendary public crusades and powerful oration, we suddenly had a shot at equal rights comparable to Whites. Or so it seemed. It has now been nearly 42 years since his tragic death, but racism is still quite strong, though not as upfront and prohibitive as it was then.

Whatever progress this nation has made as a racially unified land, us Blacks owe it to King for giving us a shot in the dark. And everyone else owes it to him for bringing a small measure of peace and civility to the U.S.

Think about it.