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Show THE DAILY CHRONICLE UTAH i1 THE CHRONICLE'S VIEW "S Jjf (T artin Luther King Jr. Day is not about remembering .the past as much as it is about examining the present and M looking toward the future. The Civil Rights Movement didn't end in the 1960s, tf didn't even start then. Civil rights as a term involves more than racial minorities, it involves everyone. And what this day really should represent is America's constant struggle to treat every citizen as equal under th law and within our communities. Black America's fight for equal rights continues. The Women's Rights Movement continues. undocumented immigrants, sexual minorities, the disabled the elderly, the poor the fight continues, Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who fought the fight in honorable ways. A true American who continues to show us the power of words, the power of peaceful resistance and the power of the individual We don't have this man to stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and lead us. Now the collective Civil Rights Movement rests in our hands. the easy thing to do is ignore His-pani- cs, , VAI ff 1 At ' that the fight continues, to point to past movements and say, "We treat everyone equal now." The hard thing to do, which by the way is the right thing to do, is to listen. Groups of Americans who get stepped on always screarn for help. We have to hear their voices. These injustices that pervade America may not be so noticeable as slavery, segregation or the right to vote, You can't see the injustices as you walk down State Street or hit the polls, but we all know they are there. Little comments, jokes, looks, gestures such as these that go unchecked are an indication that America still has a problem and isn't doing much about it. Change that .Take a stand, not necessarily a Martin Luther King stand, but don't let the next negative comment about Mexicans go without saying you are offend. When your friend says, "that's so gay," make it clear that you don't approve. Treat your grandparents with the respect that they deserve. Taking these actions today will lead to a tomorrow that inches toward. King's drearn and a bctfer America. i K?lStt ori- ArAt A ZINC- - corViiWvroLAre 05FmP 1 tJft, WU- - HAUe To to "I- -' LETTER TO THE EDITOR Practicing What You Preach in 2002 Editor: I just wanted to give some positive feedback to an opinion column written for the new year (OK so I didn't keep my resolution to respond to issues in a timely manner). James Seaman wrote an entertaining conversation in his Jan. 3 opinion column, "Looking Ahead in 2002 With a Lively Dialogue," with a very kind messagelook for opportunities to make the world a better place. I have had d experience with James making my world a better place. A few years ago, I had foot surgery and was on crutches for eight weeks. I have no extended family in the area, and my child was too young to help with some tasks. I put in a written request through the Newman Center newsletter that I needed volunteers to help with household chores I could not maneuver on crutches. I quickly heard from a young college student named James. first-han- defamatory to an Individual or group because of race, ethnic background, gender, appearance or sexual entation will be edited or will not be published. liZllS A. W - Jt-siz- cd Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion f Th Daily Utah Chronicle Editorial Board. Editorial columni and Ittttrs to tha tdltor art strictly th opinions of the author. The forum created en the Opinion Page li one bated on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolerance and respect. Material iloouc Mice to With modest commitment, he drove by my house weekly, on his way home from classes. In the heat pf the August and September afternoons, he used my "push" mower to cut my lawn for those months. He did not know me from Adam, and yet took the time to help a stranger out, with no thought of benefit to himself. James had the time, I had the need, and to him it was just a matter of simple good ncighborlincss. To me it was a gesture of generosity, not just the work he did, but the kindness and caring. When I read James' new year's message, it seems so fitting not only docs he write about making the world a better place, he's been practicing it for most of his life. I appreciate the reminder that we can all make the world a better place, just one person at a time, one act at a time. JEANETTE M. RICCI Salt Lake City, UT low-tec- h Making Improvement s in Pursuit of King's JDream KATIE HEWITT Chronicle Opinion Columnist as a reminder, Just Jan. 21st, there will be no school on because of Martin Luther Jr. Day. i suppose you knew that, but I highly doubt that most of you planned to recall or celebrate the life of him for which the day is observed. Like the rest of you, I knew who the guy was and the movement he lead, but beyond the most highly repeated phrases from his speech, I was personally unfamiliar with his impact. As a lover of history, I knew what he did historically, but I didn't feel it inside. All I knew was that U2, Nancy Griffith and James Taylor had all written some great songs about him, so I figured there was more to this than what I understood. Does this ring true with any of the rest of you? If it does, I'm sure it is with most of those of my same generation. I have felt the disservice of being born in an apathetic and unmoved era. For a while there was nothing to get moved about. We were a bunch of rebels without a cause. When I first decided on this topic, I wanted to say it with a bang. I wanted to be brash and brutal, to harp on the negative aspects of our generation and our world today. I wanted the readers to hear my cynicism loud and clear. .But as I sat reading King's "I Have a Dream" speech, I saw the irony in my own desire for a spiteful analysis of our current state rather than a peaceful demonstration. I find it rather synchronous that we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day so close to the New Year. It has the potential to make us question ourselves, as individuals and as a country, if we are better this year than we were last year in our treatment of others. Will we be better in the year to come? In the last few months of 2001 we saw the country become its best and its worst in terms of Dr. King's message of the ideal America. In the wake of Sept. n, the country was unified more than ever in my lifetime. It was the first moment I ever felt any sense of cohesiveness in my country, and also the first time I felt part of an event or era equal to that of my parents'. Yet at the same time the country was full of hate and a desire for vengeance both against the enemy abroad and any likely enemy who fit the stereotype at home. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. Did we backtrack a little? I'm not sure, for King also emphasized the moral right and responsibility to disobey this notion in the face of injustice and social evil. Americans arc walking a fine line between There equal protection and were things we did right and things we did wrong in relation to Sept. 11, but one thing is for sure, Dr. King's message was meant to be an eternal one: 063 is not an end, but a beginning. No kidding. And we are nowhere near the end in January 2002. But I think the crucial point to it all is that Rev. King was not a preacher of hell, fire and damnation. What was his message? Hope. The man had expectations (big ones), and he expected them to be filled by man, by country and by God. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. Clayborne Carson, ed.; In his own words. Can be found at any local bookstore or library. National Civil Rights Museum http:www.mccca.org-crightsmlk.ht- ml Stanford University Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project http:www.stanford.edugroupking ...knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. Have his expectations been filled? In many respects I believe they have. There arc national programs such as Affirmative Action. There are powerful organizations such as the NAACR There is a sense of political correctness. Gencrationally speaking there are improvements in the American psyche concerning equality as well. I truly believe that this generad tion is more to a sense of equality for all Americans than were our predecessors. Race still plays a part in our lives, but on the whole, it is no longer the dividing line. When I was a child, my grandfather was livid about the ethnicity represented on "Sesame Street." He didn't like the fact that his grandchildren were being exposed to the likes of Hispanic n or characters. He wanted his know to only the white world that grandchildren had he helped to create. My mother, on the other hand, thought it was a great and important change to have the various races portrayed on television for her children learn from. And I didn't notice there was a difference in races at all. I don't know if this was due to the change in the world outlook or due to my childlike view of the world, but either way, the point is clear. We African-America- have come a long way since 1963, baby. Dr. King, there has been a change since 1963 slight though it may be. And our generation finally has a turn at feeling your passion and all of the pain that comes with it. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" Amen, Dr. King. Amen. Katie welcomes feedback at: khcwittchroni-clc.utah.edor send letters to the editor to: open-minde- CHRONICLE OPINION EDITOR LAURA D. WEISS LWEISSCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU 581-704- 1 u |
