MLK Remembered?

Today, I learned something. My father was saddened to see that some of my neighbors had put out their trash, forgetting it was a holiday. He often pokes fun at them for doing that, but not this morning.

Instead, to my surprise, he seemed disgusted, angry, resigned. "Today" he said, "of all days to put the trash out". Then he shook his head. I asked him a wordless question, and he answered. "It just shows how ignorant of history Caucasians are. The last thing MLK Jr did before he was assassinated was to support the striking sanitation workers in Memphis TN. There isn't a trash collector on the planet that would be working today."

Wow. I hadn't realized that. He was right. We are ignorant. I was ignorant. I mean, I've learned about MLK Jr. I care deeply about social justice, and the right to non-violent protest. How come I'd never learned about what had happened immediately prior to his death? How the judge had just granted him the right to march, after working out an arrangement with local businesses that had filed suit against him after looting had broken out at the last rally for the sanitation workers. The city and local companies were against unionizing, and it was a big deal. Did I never learn about that? Or did I just forget?

One thing's for sure, it has made me realize that on a day of remembrance such as today, it is important to become more aware of the life of the person being memorialized. If a day has been set aside specifically to honor Martin Luther King Jr., then the least I can do is to spend a few minutes today to learn something about them that I wasn't aware of previously.

I found out about the strike today, and read more about it in the National Archives. Here is the page should you want to read about it for yourself. http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/memphis-v-mlk/

In respectful memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.