This is a repost of a repost, as it were. I wrote this post a few years ago in honor of Martin Luther King Day. I didn’t think I could really add much more to what I had already written, so I reposted it last year. Well, I’m in the same mind-set this year; I feel what I wrote a few years ago is exactly how I feel about Dr. King today. With your wonderful acceptance of the same words, here is my post about Martin Luther King Day (which is tomorrow, January 18th).
It is, “Martin Luther King Day” here in the US. To most Canadians, Dr. Martin Luther King is an iconic figure that fought for the civil rights of African-Americans. Not a lot is said or written about him in Canada (at least to my knowledge), but yet there is a collective understanding among Canadians that what Dr. King stood for was right and true. Perhaps this is a simplistic way of putting it on my part, but there is a reason for it. I see it as a nod of agreement; yes, there is no need to explain that which is correct.
Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, GA. The picture above was taken when Dr. King visited Chicago in 1966. He came to Chicago often to assist local leaders in the civil rights movement.
I am in awe of the work that Dr. King accomplished. Each time I hear his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech that he delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 in Washington, DC, I get goosebumps and a lump in my throat. His words resonate so deeply, and I cannot help but be so incredibly grateful for his astonishingly courageous and honorable spirit. If you have never heard this speech, I encourage you to please look it up; it is one of the most powerful speeches I have ever heard.
To me, as a Canadian living in Chicago, I am reminded every day how vitally important it is to show each person I meet that we are all beings cut from the same cosmic cloth, as it were. By that I mean we come from the same source; we are all connected whether we can wrap our human brains around this, I’m not so sure. The feeling, ah yes, the feeling that comes from simply acting in kindness, compassion, and treating everyone with respect and dignity. As I (unfortunately) on occasion bear witness to a word or an act that does not represent any of these things, it only strengthens my conviction to look for ways to show them even more. Sometimes it is simply opening a door for someone, or a smile to a passerby, which is sometimes looked upon with suspicion; sad, but true.
This does not discourage me in any way, shape, or smile *grin*. It merely invigorates my resolve to show people, as Dr. King so eloquently noted and I paraphrase here: that individuals not be judged on the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
I hope today, wherever you inhabit the planet, that you will take pause and focus your awareness on that which is so becoming of you, as a fellow human being, to remember your connectedness with all who share the planet with you.
Wonderful repost, i also,get goosebumps!!
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Thank you, Lyn! I sure do, too! Cher xo
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Xo
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Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
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Thank you for the reblog, my dear!! Cher xo
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A great, great man and definitely more than deserving to be thought of on a memorial day for him. I agree so much with what you said about coming from the same source. We are all sitting in the same boat, having the same hopes, and heading towards the same destination, no matter how we look like or where we come from. Yes, these little acts of kindess which show that we understand that. In the end we can only make it together.
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I love your words, Erika, and I completely agree. We need to realize that, for example, an astronaut looking at the earth from space sees this little, blue planet where all of us are on it. To separate our humanness from one another has never, ever made sense to me. Dr. King understood this in a very profound way. Cher xo
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That is a very good way to picture it, Cher! Separation only leads to war and disharmony but for being united we need to see ourselves less in the center than the bigger meaning behind life. Yes, definitely, King got that!
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I agree, Erika! He was a visionary and understood exactly what was right. When we feel separate from others, suspicion can grow. When we feel together, it changes things. It is no longer “them” “they” versus “us”; it is “we”. 😉 xo
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YES!!! It is US!!! Exactly! That was a powerful reply, Cher! Love it 👍
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Ah, thank you, Erika!! Cher xo
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💖💖
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such powerful post and bring the value of history..
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Why thank you so much for your words; I really appreciate it a lot! A very important man, Dr. Martin Luther King was, wasn’t he? Cher xo
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Awesome post – thank you so much. I live in NewZealand and l figure most people know who Dr King was but I wonder about the younger generation -are they taught about him here? I don’t know. Really enjoyed this post – thank you 🙂
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Why thank YOU so much, my dear! Yes, I wonder if the younger generation is taught about him all over the world. You would think he would be, wouldn’t you? I think it is vitally important that we all share his wise words of wisdom and live by them as well. Now I am going to look up and see if I can find out whether he is taught about in NZ! Cher xo
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Please let me know – I’m interested in what you can discover!
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I shall most certainly do that! Thank YOU! cher xo
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A beautiful and moving post, Cher. We are all one. 🙂
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Thank you so much, Tonya!! I agree completely; we really are!! Cher xo
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😊
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This is a great post, Cher!
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Thank you so much, Lisa!! Cher xo
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Thank you for sharing! 🙂
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🙂 xo
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Reblogged this on Life of an El Paso Woman and commented:
Another great post I want to share.
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Dr. Martin Luther King’s words ring true today more than ever!! We still have a long way to go not just for people of colour but for all to be equal across the world.
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I agree with you 100%, dearie!! Thank you for your insightful words! Cher xo
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Great tribute and I learn a lot from your post! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, Cher!
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Why thank you so much, Indah!! I always appreciate your words my dear! Cher xo
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I was out on a trip last week… Glad I didn’t miss this wonderful post. I have heard his speech many times through PBS, it still means so much decades later…
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Ah, thanks so much Amy!! It really does mean so much, doesn’t it? Cher xo
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Many true words 🙂 Steve Biko and Nelson Mandela come to mind also for their fight in the same struggle an ocean away – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY_5e5ew12I
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Ah, thank you for the link my dear! I shall check it out! Cher xo
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