"He Would Have Understood"
January 18th was the national day of observance for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was established on November 2, 1983 so that the contributions of Dr. King would never be forgotten. Rightfully so. And yet, this year his day was in the shadow of the cataclysmic event that happened on Haiti on January 12, 2010. With the loss of life in the tens and possibly hundreds of thousands, the attention has been on an Island in the Atlantic Ocean called Haiti. But I do not believe that Dr. King would have been offended by this. Instead, I think he would have applauded the focus. After all, what better way to honor a great civil rights leader than to place attention on those who have so little rights...the Haitians. What greater way to honor his cause than to work for the causes and quality of life of others. Dr. King was a man who fought for garbage collectors. He led the nonviolent marches to free the country from the plight of racism and hatred. He worked to shed light on the inequality of humanity that society had imposed upon it. I believe he would have understood why his day took a back seat to the needs of thousands who have so little. I believe that we continue to honor Dr. King by extending the hand of friendship and love to all people and by doing the hard work of recovery and rebuilding against insurmountable odds. Today, pause and remember the life of a great civil rights leader and then honor that life by extending your hand to an unlikely stranger or person in need.
Sharing in Faith,
Rev. Craig W. Duke
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