Opinions expressed are those of the poster and not necessarily the Sonoma County Young Democrats.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. ~ MLK

On this, the 18th of January, we stop to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. In his short 39 years on earth Martin Luther King had an incredible impact, one that continues on to this day. His efforts to end racial segregation and racial discrimination earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was the youngest recipient of that award.

When I stop to think of the impact he had on our country I am reminded of the speech given by Bobby Kennedy to eulogize his passing, and I thought it would be fitting to reflect on those words today.

Statement on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Indianapolis, Indiana

April 4, 1968

"I have bad news for you, for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight.

Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice for his fellow human beings, and he died because of that effort.

In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black--considering the evidence there evidently is that there were white people who were responsible--you can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization--black people amongst black, white people amongst white, filled with hatred toward one another.

Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.

For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and distrust at the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I can only say that I feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man. But we have to make an effort in the United States, we have to make an effort to understand, to go beyond these rather difficult times.

My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He wrote: "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black.

So I shall ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King, that's true, but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love--a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke.

We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times; we've had difficult times in the past; we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; it is not the end of disorder.

But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings who abide in our land.

Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.

Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people."


The words that bear repeating for me are as follows:

"What we need in the United States is not division;

what we need in the United States is not hatred;

what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness;

but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black."

As our President celebrates his first MLK day in office, nearly a year, to the day since he was inaugurated, the words state so many years ago still ring true. We do not need division, we don not need hatred. In order for this great country of ours to move forward, in the spirit of change, we need compromise, we need caring, we need compassion, and we need hope.

- We need to comprimise on our differences, so we can move forward for the betterment of the country.

- We need caring, for those amongst us who do not share in our good fortune.

- We need compassion, for our neighbors who have just suffered through a horrible disaster

- We need hope, for a better tomorrow.

While many will be taking this MLK day to relax and recover from the weekend, I feel it is important for us to commit to action. Action that will honor the legacy of this great man. Wether that action comes in the form of volunteering, or simply taking the extra time involved in doing what is right for our fellow man. I know I will try to do my part, and I hope you will too.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Haiti in Ruins


As we are all very well aware at this point, there was a devastating earthquake just outside of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. This 7.0 magnitude quake has lefts thousands homeless, and roughly 100, 000 dead. The tragedy that Haiti is facing is one that is compounded by the fact that it is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Roughly 80% of the citizens of Haiti live below the poverty level. The per capita income of Haiti is $560 annually. Living in California we have the luxury of strict building codes and seismic standards that are not the norm in Haiti, which has been a major factor in the impact that this earthquake.

I am coincidently staying in San Luis Obispo for training on Emergency Management for earthquakes right now, and I cannot help but let my mind wander off to the thought of how devastating this earthquake has been, and how fortunate we truly are here in California. I have been searching for ways that I may be of help and was able to find a listing of resources from CNN. The below link provides information on charitable organizations that you can donate to.

Hip Hop artist Wyclef Jean is urging people to donate $5 to his Haitian charity, YĆ©le Haiti, by texting "YELE" to 501501. (The donation will be automatically charged to your cellphone bill.) His is one of many Haiti earthquake relief efforts underway.

Additionally, you can text HAITI to 90999, which will send a $10 donation the Red Cross. The donation will be added to your phone bill and all of the money will go directly to the Red Cross.

While I am well aware of the tough financial situation that many people are in, it is hard to look at the devastation on television and not feel an overwhelming desire to give all you can to help our fellow man in this dire time of need.


Resources to donate:

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/

 
Clusty