What Martin Luther King Jr. Day Means in 2021
Today, our nation celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man known for his work as a minister and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. His words have since become symbolic of equality and love as means of conquering hate and injustice.
Unfortunately, the past year has proven that Dr. King’s work and words merely began the process of eradicating racial prejudice from our nation. We saw proof of this when the nation mourned the loss of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and a long, growing list of others whose deaths reflect how the color of one’s skin can impact their safety in our country. We saw proof of this last summer, when this loss reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement, sending protestors into streets around the world.
Months later, we see more proof in the words of Dr. King’s son, Martin Luther King III, who criticized the police response to the insurrection on January 6 because it lacked the same level of aggression witnessed during the police response to Black Lives Matter protests.
These events force us to ask an important question: Have we truly come a long way since Dr. King took to the streets in a similar fashion? In many ways, marginalized and oppressed communities have made strides toward an increasingly equal world. Dr. King’s promotion of love, service, and standing against discrimination has contributed to progress.
However, that does not excuse us from ignoring injustice or prejudice of any kind. Ignorance has a way of hurting everyone, directly or indirectly. Of course, this isn’t new to anyone in the LGBTQ community, or anyone with an identity that suffers ridicule and oppression. This makes standing together even more vital. We cannot let another community become silenced or devalued because of their identity.
Put simply, Dr. King’s work is far from over. Ending persecution is often gradual, especially when this persecution has been embedded into our history for centuries. Achieving open eyes, open hearts, and open minds is difficult, but that does not make it impossible. Today serves as a reminder of what we can achieve by standing up together.
