I will fly my flag today, as it is a celebration of Martin Luther King’s Birthday. Dr. King stood then, and still stands today, as a representative of Liberty and Justice for all. As such, I salute him. As brought home by the current movie “Hidden Figures,” it was not that long ago, the 1960s, when numbers of places in our great country still had “Colored” bathrooms, drinking fountains and even coffee pots. Now we look back in wonder, but it was Dr. King who literally led the march and stood for a society that treats everyone equally. And in so doing, he caused millions of Americans to understand the wrongfulness of segregation.
It is truly difficult to change the direction of an ocean liner, and it takes time, distance and energy. The same thing is true with cultures. To my discredit, I still remember thinking and even saying in the early 1960s when I was at UCLA that “negroes should be patient in pursuing their civil rights” (I know myself pretty well, and totally doubt that if I had been black, I would have been patient), and accepting what the adult advisor of our fraternity told us was the rule that we couldn’t recruit any members who would not be accepted by all of our chapters nationwide (i.e. no Blacks of Jews). I deeply regret my acquiescence. So today, in remembrance of Dr. King, his spirit and all of the great things that he still represents, let each of us in our everyday lives reaffirm and continue to cultivate in our own way our great nation’s heritage of Liberty and Justice for all! Amen!
Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)
2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President,
along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President
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