Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I was watching the local news today, and the reporter was interviewing people at the MLK parade in Houston. Something one of the interviewees said intrigued me. The young man said he didn't know much about Dr. King. He also said schools should teach more about this topic.

My first thought was "If you want to know more, research it!!! Why do the schools have to teach EVERYTHING?????????" My next thought was "Is this a topic that is still important?" I don't mean that in a mean way at all.

My point is this...On August 28, 1963, Dr. King spoke the following words:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." (For entire text, see here.)

On January 20, 2009, our country will watch as Barack Obama takes his oath to become President of the United States. Mr. Obama is bi-racial. Even though I believe there were people who voted for him solely because of the color of his skin, I also believe there were people who voted for him based on the content of his character.

I know our country still has a long way to go, but I think we are headed in the right direction. With no disrespect to anyone, I believe this day will be sooner than later and will come with the passing of the older generations.

What makes me say that??? Well, here goes. (Bear with me!)

When my father was 10-15 years old, the U.S. was still segregated. (This was in the 1940's.) A white person would not be friends with a black person and vice versa. When my mother was 10-15 years old, the civil rights movement was in full swing (1960's). You could be friends, but you would never date someone of the opposite race. When I was 10-15 years old, people started dating, and it was accepted a little bit. (This was the 1980's, and we had The Jefferson's with the bi-racial Willis family and Different Strokes with Arnold and Willis being raised by a white man...Why can't I remember his name???????) Today's 10-15 year olds don't even think twice!