A Pause for Reflection
I have been way too busy recently. With recent staff changes at Rochester, I have a lot more to do and no more time in which to do it. This week, I am in Senatobia, Mississippi to speak and, during the days, I am walking around Memphis. As those of you who follow me on Facebook know, I have enjoyed my time here very much… but today I am prepared to be humbled, ashamed and, perhaps, proud.
I am going to the Civil Rights Museum. I can remember when I heard that Martin Luther King Jr. had been killed… and I heard it through racist jokes some of my buddies (we were all around 11 or 12) told about coon hunting. I had no idea what they were talking about (I had never seen a raccoon or heard that term used for blacks — I wasn’t, shall we say, “from around here”) but I knew it wasn’t right.
My father was opposed to Dr. King and the marches. He had always preached for racial equality and, truth be told, has lived out his love for people of all colors in every aspect of his life, but he was also afraid of communist or socialist influences in the labor movement. He feared that those influences were behind Dr. King’s marches. I didn’t know what to think. I was just a boy.
Later, when I was eighteen, I read Dr. King’s letter from a Birmingham jail. I was stunned. What that man said in that letter was truth. It was what I believed. I had some repenting to do and I knew I had to make some changes in my life.
I am sure I will learn more today. I have not lived out my love for all people perfectly – not by a long shot. But I want to get better, every day.
Like I said — I am prepared to be ashamed, humbled, and proud today. I’ll let you know how that comes out.
September 15th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
There is a civil rights area of Atlanta that is a very good experience as well. You can see the house where Martin Luther King Jr. grew up, the church where he and his father preached, and visit a wonderful Civil Rights museum as well.
I don’t know if you will be in Atlanta any time soon, but if you are I suggest that as a place to visit.
September 15th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
I, too, grew up in the DEEP south where there was no use whatsoever for Dr. King nor his pursuit of racial equality. It was not until I heard Dr. Fred Gray (Martin Luther King’s personal attorney) speak at Pepperdine Bible Lectures and, subsequently, read his book, Bus Ride to Justice, did I come to any appreciation for Dr. King.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:41 am
I took my family to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis a few years ago. Everyone should visit it. We plan on going again. I think my son is getting old enough to comphrehend some of the courage of the civil rights leaders who faced all kinds of opposition, but who persevered to make this nation more just. You can find some great examples of good people involved in the struggle for civil rights in America.