A path towards unity for ALL

Monday, January 18th we celebrate one of United States most influential leaders, Martin Luther King Jr. While his birthday is actually, today, January 15th, nationally we take the 3rd Monday of January off from work to reconnect with our neighbors and community. It is not a day off that we get but a day to honor the work and legacy of MLK. We take this time to reflect on how far we have come and how much further we still need to go.

As I write this post, under a shelter in place order, experiencing the political and social unrest of our country, I am conflicted. My family is comprised of an interracial unit with two young Black American teenage girls and myself being of Hispanic and Syrian descent. I think, how will we observe this day? How will we talk about the events of 2020 with the National & International movement of Black Lives Matter and the political unrest around the 2021 inauguration of our first African & Asian Indian American Female Vice President. I think where can I go to alleviate my conflicting emotions. I go to MLK. I think about who he was and the trail of wisdom and the path to unity he left our nation.

MLK is the nonviolent leader for the Civil Rights Movement in the 19th century. His focus was always to terminate segregation and racism through unity. When the components of unity, I think of the consistency of effort and character. MLK exampled to our nation what it meant to be of one focus and of one accord, never wavering from conviction and never giving in to temptations of anger. If you get a chance to read his speech “I Have a Dream” of 1963, you will read countless examples of those efforts and characters.

I think one of MLK’s most influential quotes was “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. These quotes spell out a path to being united as a community, a nation, and even a global race. Peace is achieved by taking the time to understand one another. For example, reaching out to a fellow co-worker past or present and checking in (agenda-free) hearing their story of how this time of a global pandemic has affected them would help create unity. Darkness is driven out by light - encouraging someone that is less fortunate than you are, lending a helping hand to an aging person that could use a strong back and a pair of legs to do a chore for them would be the light in their life. Hate is driven out by love - this is by far the most challenging of them all because it requires one person to take their eyes off their own situation or circumstance and put it on someone else cause, but it can be done.

I want to start a quote today, in honor of MLK and it goes like this: 1% towards a loving attitude is 1% closer to unity. I think if we all made a decision on Monday, January 18th of 2021 to be 1% more understanding, 1% of the light in someone’s life or having a 1% more loving attitude towards our community, I think we could further the cause of terminating racism and be more united.

I would like to leave this post with another quote from MLK, “The time is ALWAYS right to do what is right.”

Happy MLK Day!