Over the past few weeks I have been studying and doing research on MLK (Martin Luther King Jr.). I have been trying to learn from his actions to better understand myself and how I should handle certain situations. Some of the questions I asked my self were: What valuable lessons did I learn from my trips and readings? What steps do I want to take to respond to the inhumane treatment of African American people-- The only people group to be forced to the US on their own will? What changes are still needed today? How can I integrate my christian faith and vocation through the practices of ethical action?
During my study of the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr. I learned so much about him that I hadn’t learnt before. I realized that MLK was just a normal guy who stood up when no one else would take charge. I learnt that He was born into a pastor’s home and had many brothers and sisters. Going to Martin Luther King Jr’s birth home and hearing the stories of how he would fight with his brothers and sisters, and how he would complain about doing the dishes allowed me to view him as a person just like me. Martin Luther King Jr. probably never knew the mark he made in history. He probably thought he was a normal person just doing his job as a Christian, when in reality he was changing the world with every non-violent action he accomplished.
One thing that wowed me was to see that Martin Luther King Jr. was admitted to prison over 29 times for protesting and just living out his daily life. I remember hearing that his daughter asked why he had to keep going back to that place (jail). This allowed me to remember that Martin Luther King Jr. was a father and had duties to his family while he was doing his non-violent protesting and rallies. Its amazing how he was able to balance a family life while also living out the call of God on his life. He inspires me to continue what God tells me to do even though I have a family and friends who don’t want me to do the call of God and don’t understand why I continue.
I learnt from the reading and class discussions how messed up the world was during Martin Luther King Jr.’s time. We read about the segregation between
whites and blacks in schools, restaurants, buses, water fountains, parks, and toilets, but it is so much deep rooted than just that. Before this class I had always thought that this time frame was right after slavery had ended, but in reality, it had been several years since slavery has taken place. Sadly, African Americans still didn’t believe they had the authority to stand up for them selves until they got a leader (Martin Luther King Jr.).
One of my favorite things that I read from Martin Luther King Jr. was his Letter from A Birmingham Jail. He wrote this letter while he was in jail to the people who were a part of his group that were beginning to not understand Martin Luther King Jr.. In this letter he stands firm and encourages his people to resist peacefully and nonviolently. He assures them that acting violent will only cause more disruption. This is my favorite writing from Martin Luther King Jr. because I am also a pacifist, and this is a passage that reminds me to stay peaceful and non-violent. When I feel like throwing in the towel and giving up I read this letter and it fires me up again.
As Christians we should respond to the inhumane treatment of African Americans by expressing love towards different races. America has set quite and been told to not point out the fact that people have different skin color, but in fact this is one of the main problems. Now talking about different races is or can be considered a taboo. It is time to embrace the ways that we are all different weather that consist of our race, culture, disabilities, or likes/dislikes. We need to be willing to look at everyone equally, but also be able to respect and not ignore our uniqueness.
Today, especially in America, a lot of people automatically assume that African Americans are poor, criminals, or up to no good. The way that the police unreasonably stops African Americans
and does background checks on them is totally unfair. There must be a way to stop the stereotype that isn’t true. We need to realize first and foremost that racism is still active, and we need to non-violently protest against people like the KKK and Neo- Nazis who want blacks dead and out of out country. We also need to get the idea out of our minds that “if it is not affecting me right now then I don’t need to do anything about the situation”. We have become such a selfish culture that we don’t even care that our brothers and sisters are being discriminated just for the way they look. As Christians we should be loving to everyone and care about everyone’s wellbeing.
Many times, in scripture, it talks about helping those who are a minority. God has a special place in his heart for immigrants, the poor and different races. Some scriptures that discuss the way we should treat people are found in John 7:24. It says, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge the righteous judgment.” Another is found in Leviticus 19:33-34. It says, “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” And lastly in Exodus 22:21 the Bible says, “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.”
Scripture is natural evidence that the way that African Americans in America have and are being treated is wrong. It is time that Christians stand up just as Martin Luther King Jr. did and speak truth to the world about what is right. We should be attending rallies and counter protests against groups and events that are showing discrimination. We should be talking about what to do
in our church, and in our families. We should be standing up when people make racist comments even if they just meant it as a joke. We should be willing to give our lives for our brothers and sisters in the midst of chaos to show them what true love is. For Jesus says in Mark 12:31, “The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
The way I can integrate these ideas through my work and jobs in the future is by continuing what I am doing now. I am currently in a non-violent activist club called peacemakers, where we attend counter protest and rallies against things that are ungodly and inhumane. I truly feel God has called all his people to stand up and make their voices heard. I will continue to do this in my mission work around the globe. I hope to expand people’s ideas and thoughts on African Americans by expressing how they are humans and have feelings just like I am and do. I believe that with non-violent protest, counter protest, and embracing different races this will raise awareness of what is happening in the world, especially in America.
Just as Martin Luther King Jr.
states in his speech in DC, I also have a dream to see little white boys and little black girls playing together with no one worrying about the future of their child and if the two will get married and have interracial children. I too have a dream that the idea of being worried about the white race being extinct would no longer be in our minds and that we would accept the idea that we are not the only ones who matter. I too have a dream that black men and white women would worship together in a church congregation without someone feeling uncomfortable or uneasy about a black person being in their church. One day this dream will come true when we are in heaven, because God does not see us by our race and he does not see us by our appearance. One day we will all be united in heaven worshiping the same God in the same place.
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