Staff Writer
About a week ago while discussing nothing in particular with the few remaining friends I have left in the area the subject of Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Day came up, or more accurately the reason for having such a day.
They argued that MLK Jr. Day has no purpose and that it was as useful as President’s Day in that it serves no purpose but to get out of school or work. I wanted to disagree and tell them that a day honoring a great man was a worthwhile holiday.
It seems that the only types of holidays people care about are the ones that benefit themselves in some way, such as the drinking holidays (Halloween, Saint Patrick’s Day, New Years Eve), the giving/getting holidays (Christmas, Valentines Day, Chanukah), or even the barbeque holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day). A holiday devoted to someone else and how they enhanced the world is something many would be much happier ignoring while they get that Monday off once a year.
For those who slept through every school assembly they have ever been to, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929. He was a minister as well as a political activist made famous by his leadership in the American civil rights movement that took place in and around the ’60s. In his life, King won the Nobel Peace Prize and Presidential Medal of Freedom for his deeds. In 1968 he was assasinated. For his promotion of non-violence and racial equality, King is considered a peacemaker and martyr by many people around the world.
Partially hoping to find some clarity on the issue I went to the University of Washington Medical Center for their Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. The event featured everything from traditional Cajun music to the presentaion of awards to those who have dedicated much of their lives to helping others.
Among those speaking at the gathering were Teri Ward, the Master of Ceremonies, and the one in charge of the Office of Minority Affairs at the UW, Kathleen sellick, who hosted the event and works at the medical center, UW President Mark Emmer, and Ron Sims as the keynote speaker delivering the speech, “Health Care Disparities: Facing Challenges as One”. Topics ranged from Hurricane Katrina, to those not able to afford health insurance to (of course) Martin Luther King Jr. and his work in uniting people and striving to make the world a place of equality.
After an hour of speeches and more Cajun music than any person should ever be subjected to in an hours time, I was beginning to think that no one could validify the reason for having MLK Day aside from the “he was a great leader and role model” line.
It was half way through Ron Sims speech that I looked over and saw a quote on a door by Martin Luther King that read, “Life’s most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?” Upon reading this, everything began linking together. The common denominator between Hurricane Katrina, the civil rights movement, and the struggle of certain people affording health insurance was and is people helping people.
The holiday isn’t about putting a man on a pedestal it’s about remembering what he believed in and making sure that one does not forget to keep others in mind. The day is in direct opposition to most holidays; instead of trying to please oneself, it is about looking around us and deciding to do something, anything, to make our surroundings at least a little better.