Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday

Today is Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday observed. The kiddos and I watched his famous “I have a Dream” speech online last night. Having to explain the idea of racial prejudice and why Martin Luther King, Jr. is important has been an interesting proposition. I am glad that the kids don’t automatically know what prejudice is and why “coloreds” were not treated equally. I am thrilled that is not something they deal with every day. They have had friends that are considered black since they were young and cannot imagine their friends not being accepted for the color of their skin. In fact, my son always tells me “We’re all brown” and in a way he is right--we’re just varying shades. So, it has been quite an adventure to discuss the history of blacks in America and how they did not always have the freedoms we whites have. I have never seen the Martin Luther King, Jr. speech in its entirety before. I found myself getting emotionally caught up and agreeing with much of what was said. I agree that we should be “judged not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character.”  Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr. for your courage during such a volatile moment in American history.  May we all judge people by their character alone OR better yet, not judge at all and leave the judging to the Ultimate Judge.