Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

We, as Christians, give honor to whom honor is due. This is biblical. We, as a people, as a nation, give honor to whom honor is due and historically, we give honor to those whom honor is not due. I believe anyone that is of peace, of valor, on the side of right and humanity should be honored. If they foster hate and division. If we have to constantly say, “Well, they really didn’t mean it “that” way or “it was just a joke”, I don’t think we should hold them to any esteem. I don’t think people that spread lies as truths should be honored. I don’t even respect them.

I’ll never forget a co-worker of European dissent said, “I don’t even know why we are off that day or why he has a day” as two African American women stood in the room. We let her walk out without saying a word. We were stunned. We were stunned because we for one thought of her as a good co-worker. One that didn’t show the prejudices and outright racism prone to be displayed at this non-profit organization. Stunned. Perhaps it was straight ignorance but, I don’t see how. It’s not like she didn’t know what the man was trying to do.

Oh, how I wish I had told her I don’t know why we have a day for Christopher Columbus or why banks and schools are closed but, we do. He certainly wasn’t about peace and equality. I wish I had told her that we wouldn’t be working together if it wasn’t for this MLK and many others of many different races and cultures. But I missed that opportunity to help a co-worker “understand”. However, I know many people of other races, “don’t understand”. I also “understand” how they choose not to understand.

~Nikki