Today is a day off. And as Samantha has told us about 400 times, it is because of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. When asked why we celebrate his birthday with a vacation day she answered that he was "a good and generous man". Huh?!?
Is that what they are teaching these days? We've made it so politically correct that we don't even discuss civil rights or equality under the law with second graders? Neither Samantha nor Rachel could state one thing that Mr. King had done other than the title of his famous speech. So we talked about race, slavery, unfair laws, prejudice, bias, Jim Crow, and Rosa Parks. Today we will read a book about Mr. King's life. A book that talks about police dogs, fire hoses, separate drinking fountains, and little girls going to school with police escorts.
If our children aren't taught the truth of our American history, how are they going to keep from repeating it? Persecution comes in many forms, not just skin color. Mr. King fought against all persecution and prejudice. We live in a world where my children's christian beliefs are challenged and denied on nearly a daily basis. If we, as a people, don't teach our children how to stand up for our beliefs, then we will soon be without the right to believe. Mr. King stood up for his beliefs and tried to use the life of Jesus Christ as his model. There is something to be learned from that.