The Content of Our Character

As a life-long Atlantian (turns out, that's not a word), I'm slightly more accustomed to the looming legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr than most people. Atlanta was King's hometown, and as such, his life and work were heavily emphasized topics in all my history classes and his name is emblazoned on many street signs and monuments and buildings around the city.

Every year on this day - the anniversary of his assassination on the balcony of Lorraine Motel in Tennessee in 1968 - Atlanta holds a wreath-laying ceremony. This year, in his honor, they'll launch a campaign against youth violence. 

It'd be easy for me to ignore today and write it off as another day. Most people do. But I feel like the times we're living in now aren't that different from King's. And I think that if he were alive today, he'd still be on a podium somewhere, advocating acceptance, love, and non-violent non-compliance with a government who continues to show that its best interests do not lie (lay?) with the people. I feel like forgetting his work makes his death inconsequential, and someone that was such a brave, progressive, and positive force deserves more than that.

So, for the first time in my life, I think I'll take a minute to remember. Because there are still people persecuted solely because of how they look and who they love and what gender they are. Because we're still fighting and paying for wars we can't justify. Because the city I've called home for 90% of my life, that MLK called home, would rather spend $200 million dollars on a shiny new football stadium rather than invest in infrastructure, (ya know, like the important kind), sustainable living initiatives, and aid for the disenfranchised who make city street corners their homes. Because the world today could sure as shit stand to have more people who aren't afraid to stand up and rock the boat.

Those are the best kind of people. The core-shakers. Wave-makers. The ones who want to make noise, who believe despite all odds that things can change. Apathy is rampant these days. We all feel too small and too far-removed from the big D.C to think that anything we do would ever matter. It's important to remember that shit wasn't always like that. People cared. They stood up. They marched. They voted and protested. And while it's not completely silent, the world sure it a lot quieter these days. And not for the better.

If a white girl born in 198(something) from the suburbs can manage to find relevance in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s memory, anyone can. Take a minute and try. 

xo.

P.S. It's also the extraordinary Maya Angelou's birthday today. Happy Birthday!! - said as if Maya Angelou actually will be reading this.