"A Dream for All to Share"

Yesterday, our nation celebrated Martin Luther King Day.

You may recall that when this holiday was established there were many voices in opposition to this national holiday. In some cases the reason was personal dislike of King himself. In other cases, I think people still wanted to hide their faces from the ugly past of racism in our country. To them, such a holiday only opened up old wounds or made them face unpleasant truths.

When I taught 3rd grade, I felt it was crucial for our children to know the truth about our nation's past, both the good and the bad. We have much to cherish and to be proud of. But to withhold stories of days of slavery or the Cherokee "Trail of Tears" or the days of racial oppression and segregation denies children the opportunity to find their own moral compass. I found that when children were faced with harsh facts, their hearts were filled with compassion, remorse, and a longing that bad things had never happened. How else could they incorporate into their own value system a determination that these things never happen again?

We've all heard so many times, " Those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them." Just as the Children of Israel were admonished to teach the stories of their captivity and deliverance to each ensuing generation, we should ALL recognize the importance of history as heritage. I would go as far as to say that the teaching of history is the cornerstone to citizenship and preserving our national character.

So I encourage those of us who DO remember

To share history with those who DO NOT.

It is a story often fraught with pain and hurt,

but it is the only story we have, and it needs to be told truthfully.

"Hatred paralyzes life;

love releases it.

Hatred confuses life;

love harmonizes it.

Hatred darkens life;

love illuminates it."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The time is always right

to do what is right."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Power at its best is love

implementing the demands of justice.

Justice at its best

is love correcting everything

that stands against love."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon

which cuts without wounding and ennobles the

man who wields it. It is a sword that heals."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"With this faith, we will be able to hew out

of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.

With this faith, we will be able to transform

the jangling discords of our nation into a

beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

With this faith, we will be able to work together,

to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail

together, to stand up together, knowing that we

will be free one day."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"We must develop and maintain the capacity

to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive

is devoid of the power to love. There is some good

in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us.

When we discover this, we are less prone to

hate our enemies."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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