The Dream Lives On

[ziasudra]

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Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

I believe there'll always be racism as long as there is a human race; it's so ingrained in human nature to notice what's different and label it repulsive or undesirable. Today it might be black vs. white. Tomorrow it can be blue eyes vs. green eyes, or ears with lobes vs. ears without lobes. What I find admirable about Martin Luther King, Jr. is that he kept on fighting for what he believed to be right. And he did it in such a way that he and his movement became inspirations to many, even if the results of King's efforts came years after he died.

Part of the reason why I like InterVarsity so much is because of the organization's commitment to racial reconciliation. I have yet to be part of a group that's so committed to not only address personal injustice, but to work on issues on a more macro level through education (both learning and teaching) and service.

There are still plenty of racial discriminations around. But today reminds me that since the Civil Rights Movement, much progress has been made.

Comments

[ziasudra.livejournal.com]

I overheard Anna's conversation with a former staff the other day and she was talking about how she noticed a lot of the racial reconciliation talks have been initiated by a more "privileged" group reaching out to a "less privileged" group, and that even in Asian (American) racial reconciliation movements, it's usually the East Asians doing the initiating, as if we have something akin to the White Man's Guilt.

She mentioned in passing there was a really powerful reconciliation moment between Japanese and Korean students at Urbana this year. I didn't hear too much details about that, but I'm sure it was amazing.