Is it really all that bad?

A young well dressed, articulate black man came up to me at one of my book signings and asked, “Was slavery really all that bad?”  I was stunned at the question.  Later when I thought about it, I felt his query was a reminder that we often don’t know enough of the history of who are as Americans.  What is the composition of its many people?  I wonder if on this MLK day, there are those asking, “Was segregation and Jim Crow really all that bad?”

As a child of the 60s, I was privileged to live through what was called the Civil Rights Movement.  The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the major torch-bearer enlightening us of injustice.  Moreover, he urged us to do something about it.  Thoughtfully, leaders for womens’ rights, gay rights, immigrant rights, and more have also followed that model and directive.

On this special day of Dr. King’s birthday, I’d like to encourage you to join with me to—

Honor the man

Bless his spiritual force and commitment

Embrace the Love he taught us

Continue to pursue “the Dream” he shared with us

Learn the history that led to the movement

And push forward with conscious drive

Dr. King, for me, embodied what it means to be a “good man.”  He set the standard, comprehensively.  He increased the pace ahead.  He asked good questions that I, personally, attempt to answer in a variety of ways each day in my quest to be a good woman.

When I was a youngster in my little southern town, a daily occurrence was to see  kids link little fingers as they walked down the street together.  Even today, maybe it’s not so silly to think that we could start there, sharing “the Dream” again and touching dearly.

As we do that let’s ask ourselves, “Is injustice really that bad?”