I am going to be perfectly honest with you.  This post would actually be the length of a book because I can simply go on for hours about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  There’s no reason for me to prolong this because it’s simply my opinion, and if you want to start somewhere watch the movie, Selma.

I will be brief and give you three reasons why I will ALWAYS respect the legacy of the Nobel Peace Prize Winner.  In no particular order because I may expand on this topic later.

1. Sacrifice:  Have you seriously sat down and thought about the sacrifice of Dr. King and his family.  His family shared Dr. King with us at a time where there was complete darkness.  The African American community was tired of being second class citizens.  Dr. King took the leadership role and changed this country forever.  That leadership did not come without sacrifice (especially family).
2. Leadership: Let’s be honest some of us need a leader.  Someone has to take control of the situation without focusing on titles, or receiving all of the praise.  Dr. King realized that the Civil Rights Movement would not progress without partnerships from those that were willing to take as much risks as he did. Every team needs a leader that is driven by faith, passion, and love.
3. Faith: There is no secret that Dr. King was grounded in faith. Faith was essentially the basis of his, “I have a dream…” speech.  The faith that with persistent behavior and faith in God that our country would progress in the direction that would be a place suitable for his children.  The dream that future generations would be identified as equal amongst their peers in this nation that was built by our ancestors.  Got faith?

There will never be another Dr. King, but we can also learn so much from his leadership, sacrifice, and faith in a movement that changed the shape of our reality.  Some of us have family members that were present during the marches that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement.  We have family members that were local activists and used the strategies of Dr. King as the blue print to form a collective in order to make the community inclusive of all its residents, and not to exclude anyone.

On this Monday I am spending time with people of my own community celebrating the legacy of Dr. King, and discussing where we dropped the ball that caused the disconnect in order to thrive as a whole in our own neighborhoods.  We have the power to shape the next generation.  Let’s not spend another day focusing on what the community can do for us, but focus on what we can do for our community instead.  When we decide to work together as a community, everyone WINS.

XOXO,

RJ