MLK Day

                    "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
                                                                                             -Martin Luther King JR

Dr. Martin Luther King JR was an incredible man that had a huge impact on America. He was the key figure in the civil rights movement that emphasized nonviolent activism in his message. King believed "if we do an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, we will be a blind and toothless nation."

I have to admit that a wave of emotion overcomes me when I read any quotes or speeches by King. While I am too young to have been a part of the civil rights movement it is not that many years later that I can't strongly taste the aftermath of the struggles that took place. I am grateful to incredible men like King who have paved the way for equal opportunities and education for all. All over America today there are organizations offering volunteer opportunities for people to serve their communities just as King did. Even getting together with your family and friends to discuss what today means to you, will help create a better America. I read about a banquet in Hiroshima, Japan that is held on Martin Luther King day to unify the town's message of peace with King's message of human rights. So you see as King says "our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective".

Pictures of Martin Luther King colored by my children while talking about why we celebrate this day