Reflections on MLK and 12 Years a Slave

I have not posted in several days because I have been reflecting on two recent events.
January 20 was MLK Day, a deserved Day, a challenging Day, a required Day for our national conscience. Yes, non-violence was a practical tool in his leadership struggle for equality and ending discrimination, but it also was a deeply held moral conviction that came out of his profound faith. Until the untimely end, his faith guided him in his recognition of the dignity and worth of every human being, his expanding conviction of the immorality of the Vietnam War, and his increasing awareness of the causes and consequences of poverty in this country. "A prophet is never appreciated in his own country," and this country, the political establishment, and the "church" opposed him mightily.
I had the good fortune to hear him speak in person while I was in graduate school at Vanderbilt. The next year I and fellow students marched in Memphis in memorial to his life and death. He was not perfect. Name me one person who is. He was a work in progress, and he was light years ahead of most of us in the movement toward justice, mercy, love, and the humble walk. It is fitting to remember him in a Day of Service. It is more fitting that everyday be lived in service to our fellow humans.
In the sixties and seventies I was convinced that my generation would at last lift this nation to a realization of our ideals of equality for all under the law AND eliminate racial. hatred and discrimination. Today my generation IS the face of racial hatred and the perpetuation of inequality (racial, gender, economic). My generation is the embodiment of greed and selfish consumption, desperately clinging to the past, closing its heart to the needs of those around us.
Two examples: (1) an ad for Cheerioes to be shown during the Super Bowl shows an interracial family around a breakfast table. The early YouTube response is filled with racial slurs and racial hatred. And (2) we went to see 12 Years a Slave a couple of weeks ago. It is a powerful film, full of violence, realistic, straight from the book and author who experienced this tragedy. About 3/4 of the way through, two middle-aged Black women got up to leave. But before they exited, one of the woman screamed for all to hear: "You white bitches! It would be the same today if the laws hadn't changed!" At least she has some laws on her side..
We are not called to be successful; we are called to be faithful.---Mother Teresa
The best life is the one lived in service to others.---MLK
My wish is that we all remember.