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Kings Dream Was Global One

Posted on: Monday, 16 January 2006, 18:00 CST

Kings dream was global one

Two decades ago, on Jan. 18, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation designating the third Monday in January of each year as a federal holiday in honor of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.

Here is what Reagan said in declaring the national holiday:

Dr. Kings activism was rooted in the true patriotism that cherishes Americas ideals and strives to narrow the gap between those ideals and reality. He took his stand, he once explained, because of my love for America and the sublime principles of liberty and equality on which she is founded. He wanted to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

The majesty of his message, the dignity of his bearing, and the righteousness of his cause are a lasting legacy. In a few short years, he changed America for all time. He made it possible for our nation to move closer to the ideals set forth in our Declaration of Independence: that all people are created equal and are endowed with inalienable rights that government has the duty to respect and protect.

As we observe Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday again today, we are also keenly aware of the famed civil rights leaders untimely death. He was assassinated by sniper James Earl Ray on June 5, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn., where King had gone to help resolve a sanitation workers strike. King, who had preached nonviolence, would end his life a casualty of violence the same ironic fate that touched one of Kings heroes, Mahatma Gandhi. In 1948, after hearing sermons on Gandhi, King was inspired to study the life of the man who used nonviolent protest to help win independence for India.

King used Gandhis model as he marched and preached throughout the South, arguing for a nonviolent revolution that would bring basic human rights to those who had been denied them.

While King is rightly lauded for championing equality for African Americans, his admiration of Gandhi underscored Kings understanding that justice and harmony are not merely American ideals. These principles have inspired people of courage throughout history, and around the world.

Today, at a time of so much continuing discord in so many parts of the globe, we should also remember that King was deeply concerned with the cause of international peace.

If we assume that life is worth living and that man has a right to survival, then we must find an alternative to war, King said. In a day when ballistic missiles carve highways of death through the stratosphere, no nation can claim victory in war.

Kings dream of a planet without war remains elusive nearly four decades after his death. Thats all the more reason to honor him today, and recommit ourselves to his vision for a better world.

Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.

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