CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico -- Observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday will occur January 16th with the theme, ‘Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On, Not a Day Off,’ to honor the first African-American and non-U.S. President to receive an official holiday. This holiday reiterates the importance of using the examples Dr. King displayed throughout his life. So let us remember.
We must remember Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech only scratches the surface of Dr. King’s legacy. We must remember his many sacrifices, during the Civil Rights Movement, to not only help people of color, but people of all races. We must remember that he spoke a message of nonviolence, hope, unity and respect. We must remember those words to reflect upon and apply to our daily lives. We must remember Dr. King’s message so we can celebrate how far we have come since the start of the Civil Rights Movement.
Let us celebrate the positive impact Dr. King made towards unifying the American people. Let us celebrate knowing that our children, no matter their race or color, can play on playgrounds together, use the same water fountains and sit in classrooms together, to receive the same education. Let us celebrate the strides Dr. King put in motion, showing us that we as Americans must practice treating everyone equally. Even though America has made progress to erase boundaries, set by color lines, there is still so much more we need to act on to ensure we realize Dr. King’s dream!
We must act to ensure that Dr. King’s dream lives on and one day comes to full fruition. We must act to dispel all the negative stereotypes that divide us. We must act to ensure that we are doing all we can to make this world a better place to live in, so our children will not grow-up in chaos and darkness. We must act to get to know someone who may not look like us, because you may have more in common than you ever imagined. We must act and read one speech given by Dr. King that is not familiar and let his words resonate in our mind. We must act to Dr. King’s words to help motivate us to act and get America one step close to his dream.
While we remember his legacy, let us celebrate the progress to date, and act to further facilitate Dr. King’s vision. So use the day off, from your regular job, to make sure it is a day on to work in your community to improve the world around us.