Learning to honor King’s dream 365 days a year
It’s not a day off; it’s a day on. That much we know about the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. But does it need to be more than that?
In Chester, which of course holds a very close connection with the Dr. King, there was no shortage of community service events to honor the civil rights leader, who honed his craft at Crozer Theological Seminary.
On the campus of Widener University, there was a series of community service events meant to bring the stirring oratory of Dr. King to life in a very real way.
Students fanned out across the city, taking part in community service events.
On Widener and three other local college campuses, students and others took part in the annual “Hoops for the Heart” clinics. The events offers kids an opportunity to get some hands-on basketball instruction from local college players and coaches, while at the same time taking part in a fundraiser to aid the crucial services offered every day by the Community Action Agency of Delaware County.
Kids pay a fee to take part in the program, as well as bringing canned goods to help stock local pantries.
To date, “Hoops From the Heart” has raised more than $114,000.
In Upper Darby, state Rep. Margo Davidson, D-164, kicked off the first-ever Judge Carolyn H. Nichols Drum Major for Justice Award. Named for the state Superior Court judge and highest-ranking black female justice ever elected in Pennsylvania, who also has deep roots in Delaware County, the award is mean to honor an unsung local hero and activist.
In Wallingford, members of many beliefs gathered last night for an interfaith service led by Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.
In Media, the Media Fellowship House welcomed law professor Laurie L. Levenson, from the Law School of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, who spoke of the ongoing struggle for justice for all. Now what? The notion of the “day on,” as opposed to the “day off,” is now well-established.
What remains troublesome is those other 364 days on the calendar.
The message of equality, social and economic justice and the pursuit of the American dream cannot be achieved in a single day of community interaction.
It must be an ongoing process, one that we espouse – and act on – every day, not just on a holiday set aside to honor the great civil rights leader,
We think Dr. King, who spent time as a student in Chester, would be the first to point that out, to note how far the nation has come in the past half decade, and the dangers of sliding back into the hateful rhetoric of the past.
Yes, it’s true. The nation has made great strides.
But it’s equally true that some of that progress is eroding, if not in danger of being overrun altogether.
That clear and present danger is present on the streets of Charlottesville, Va., with angry citizens carrying tiki torches, now openly sewing the seeds of hate.
It is present in the harmful words of the president, who if nothing else in the past year has shown a consistent inability to identify with the minority or immigrant experience.
It is true in the centers of power in Washington, D.C., Harrisburg and other capitols, where policies too often comfort those well-off while inflicting more pain and suffering on those who can least afford it.
And it is virulent on social media, where too many citizens fan the flames of invective that flies in the face of Dr. King’s beliefs.
King’s dream was very much alive across the region and nation yesterday.
But what of today? And tomorrow? And the rest of the year?
On all too many days, that dream is now backsliding into the hateful nightmare of our past. We should be better than this. In just a few short months, we will stop to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King. We should use that time to redouble our efforts to be sure his dream does not die.
The debate will continue to evolve over how best to honor his legacy.
Holiday? Day Off? Day On? Community service. How about all of those. But not just one day. Every day.
In just a few short months, we will stop to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King. We should use that time to redouble our efforts to be sure his dream does not die.