Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Here at work we will be off on Monday for MLK Jr. Day.

I am very thankful for MLK because I get this day off to spend with my loved ones, as I was in my younger years when we got the day off from school.

I never really took the time though, to really know why we celebrated this holiday.

In my (ignorant) mentality, I was not African American, so I really didn’t have anything to be thankful for.

However, as I grow older, it is more and more important for me to ask questions, find answers, and really seek out the importance of all the simple things in life.

I could hardly call his story SIMPLE, now that I know why he is recognized.

But before today, to me this would have been just any other day off.

I don’t have time to sit and read an entire book on MLK, although I would like to if I ever did find the time.

I searched for MLK on Wikipedia and it gave me a brief explanation of what he did:

MLK was a Baptist minister who was an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods.
In 1964 he became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means.
By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the Vietnam War.

How many of the above things can I say about myself? 

As a Mexican American, would my life be any different than it is today had MLK Jr. not stand up for what he believed in?

MLK was posthumously awarded other awards for things he did in his lifetime, should people take a few minutes of their day off to reflect and thank him for what he did for our country? 

I think so.

My children, atleast,  will know the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

I want them to know that violence is not the answer. That everyone would look the same if God decided we didn’t really need our outer skin, or hair or private parts. Everybody has a heart, everybody has a thinking brain, everybody has feelings.

Before my children even utter the words, "You are violating my civil rights," I want them to know who helped them have civil rights in the first place.