iSpeak: The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Next week, we commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King's life on the occasion of his birthday. Besides being the foremost leader of the Civil Rights revolution, he led the movement against poverty and for economic justice, and was a key leader against the Vietnam war. What does his legacy mean for you personally today, nearly 40 years after Dr. King's assasination?
Dr. King is one of my heroes. His legacy has inspired me to spend the day helping the impoverished and telling stories to the very young of how Dr. King helped all of us in one form or another. I will not go into the department stores to shop.
Harriett V. Harrison Res. Assistant New York Medical College Valhalla, NY | I feel we have forgotten Dr. King’s messages of peace, freedom, equality, struggle as a nation, togetherness etc. We have gone backwards. Our country is suffering. We should celebrate his message every day, not just once a year.
Odessa Bouttry Field Coordinator 1199SEIU National Benefit Fund New York City | MLK Jr. has always been a modern day prophet for me, a person of biblical stature yet tangible in the modern era…Venerating him is so engrained in my psychic fabric that I, like everyone else, move him into the realm of immortals.
I worry though that this veneration has been so adapted and paraphrased that its meaning has been twisted, the complexity of the message watered down, the ideas turned into nationalistic rhetoric to be used to serve whatever end the wielder of such rhetoric wishes. In this simplistic paradigm, he vanquished the dragon of racism and Jim Crow, and helped us all regret the Vietnam war that we go “tut-tut what a waste.” But gone from this are the aspirations of creating a new social order, his scathing critic of capitalism and all wars, or the recognition that this was a movement of everyday people criticizing the power elite. When I think of these things and match them with the banal reality of these aspirations, the whole of MLK, Jr. Day loses its meaning and becomes nothing but an extra Sunday.
Eric Johnson Program Coordinator
1199SEIU Training and Employment Fund
NYC | It's no longer a dream. We have the reality a woman for president. Hillary will now open the door for you and I and our daughters and granddaughters to take this lead. Change! This is our true change Carol Thompson Retiree, Shorefront Jewish Warner Robins, Georgia I feel Martin gave us the chance to live our lives with purpose and pride. Knowing that all it takes is a dream, and faith in what we do, and in ourselves. Bonnie Bland Building services aide White Plains Hospital White Plains, NY | I think that he has left me an example. He has taught me that each person's actions are important as we strive to change our world and make life better for all people. As a union we must continue with our goal of improving the lives of all our members. This goal is what made us Dr. King's favorite union. Happy Birthday, Dr. King! Denise Cherenfant 1199SEIU Training and Education Fund NYC | Martin Luther King's legacy means to me my freedom of choice, respect and dignity. I own a button with his picture and it means the world to me. He was a true hero. Joaquina Vazquez Retired Orlando, FL | For 8 months in 2007, unemployment sent my morale crashing through the basement. I went through 8 months of being broke, and becoming broken. Collection agents called my house non-stop, none of them cared that I was choking. I went through 8 months of crying, 8 months of anger, 8 months of slowly dying, 8 months of being given empty promises, 8 months of frustration, humiliation, self-destruction, depression, degradation, isolation, disintegration, and demoralization. I lived through 8 months of oppression and loss of hope. 8 months of spiraling out of control into a dark abyss, only to find my life at the crossroads. 8 months of drowning in a difficult situation, before being reminded that all trials and tribulations come to an end. And, in the end, if those trials and tribulations haven't killed me, then they have served only to make me stronger. After 8 months I am still here, the storm clouds have begun to clear. I have picked up the pieces of my soul, and made myself anew, only to shine brighter then I've ever shined before. For all those who read this message, never forget the shortest distance between a difficult time and a resolution, is the distance between your knees and the ground. I will always be faithful, humble, and above all thankful, these 8 months are finally over. All this having been said, my prayers were answered because a few people decided to give me a chance to show them what I have to offer. In order for us to reach out to those who are still struggling, it will require for us to all stick together and reach out to one another. Unity, that's what Dr. King’s legacy means to me.
Angel Reyes Executive secretary Web Department 1199SEIU New York City |
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