MLK Day

I think about Ghandi's movement of nonviolence in India, and Mandela's struggle against apartheid in South Africa. I think about the philosophy of nonviolence, and how recognizing the humanity of all people is a fundamental concept of nonviolence. I think about how King used nonviolence to promote desegregation and to support anti-discrimination legislation. I think about how I can use his strategy and tactics to advance causes I believe in such as prison reform, criminal justice reform, education reform, insurance reform, corporate welfare reform, and drug-sentencing reform among other things. I think of how, now more than ever, the fate of working class men and women of all colors is aligned with that of those who once struggled for Civil Rights and continue to struggle for social equality of opportunity today.

 

I've seen mattress stores advertise King Day sales, so I think it's safe to say the day is relevant, in that commercialism is trying to make it sound irrelevant.

"I have a dream... That little white pillow shams and little black pillow shams can decorate the same bed..."

 

When does 9/11 become a federal holiday? Or do they just bump Labor Day back a week?

 

The better question is: why isn't Arbor Day a bigger holiday?

 

I think that's mostly because of where you are. D.C. is a company town, and the "company" is the Federal Government. I'd imagine that most of the law firms and lobbying firms as well as most of the non-profits are closed.

That's not very representative of the economy in most places.

When MLK Day was instituted, many companies, under pressure to give the day off, but not wanting to add another paid holiday to the schedule, eliminated Columbus Day as a holiday.

In some places -- like New York -- where Columbus Day is seen as an Italian-American Holiday, that was very unpopular.

Many companies, like yours, just decided to give people a floating holiday and allowed workers to take off MLK Day, Columbus Day, St. Patrick's Day, or whatever holiday they chose. (Orthodox Christians and jews often use them for Hold Days that do not align with the traditional Christian Calendar.)

When I worked for the City of New York, we got both President's Day & Lincoln's Birthday off, so that was two three day weekends in February, after just getting one in late January.

We also had election day off (so union employees could vote, work phone banks, and get their people to the polls) and Columbus Day off.

 

Oh, and UPS is making regular deliveries, which is good for me because I just got some parts in that I needed.

 

MSNBC just said that only 3 of 10 businesses have given workers the day off.

 

Would St. John the Baptist day in Quebec be a provincial holiday? I seem to remember its a pretty big deal.

 

I'm surprised it's that high. But maybe they're including the DMV, the Post office, the bank etc...

 

It's too bad that some people think of it as an ethnic holiday. While I'm glad it hasn't been used as an excuse for the local retailer to have a "sales event," - it's one of those days that has meant different things to me over the years. It's a day to reflect on the power one person can have on our society, whether they are an elected official or not.
While travelling through the South a few years ago I vistited Montgomery and Birmingham. It struck me then that the Civil Rights era and the struggles our country went through weren't a "bad" period of our history, but a testament to our nation's strength and that the ultimate power resides in the people and their ability to forge positive change.
You think about people like Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner who were killed for simply trying to register voters, the many people who endured physical and emotional abuse for just standing up for their rights and what can be accomplished when people come together to work for a common goal.

 

That's a great story, Bubbler. I've talked about MLK with all three of of my kids, and presented him in much the same way: Someone who just wanted to help people reach higher, better their lot in life, and achieve their dreams.

They have trouble understanding what it was exactly that got Dr. King killed, and I have a hard time explaining it. To them, MLK's goals are a non-brainer. Perhaps that's his true legacy.

 

I was just looking again at this list of the top 25 most influential black American leaders of all time:

http://www.thegrio.com/black-history/slideshow-the-top-25-most-influential-black-american-leaders-of-all-time.php

King is obviously #1, followed by Obama.

But Jackie Robinson is nowhere on the list. That seems like a huge oversight to me. He was a trailblazer in ways that go well beyond sports.

Am I wrong on this does he belong on the list?

What about Jesse Owens or Muhammad Ali? Neither of them make the list either.

Maybe this publication/website doesn't put a large emphasis on sports, but sports are pretty influential in our society.