Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Part 2

Look Within.

I took this photo back in May of 2013 when I visited my alma mater, Kansas State University. Many mornings when I would go to class, I would make it a point to have a moment in front of this statue.

Back in January of 1968, just three months before he was assassinated, Dr. King gave a speech at Ahearn Fieldhouse imploring students to think and act together with a collective mind toward integration and justice. “We have come a long, long way, but we still have a long, long way to go before we have a truly integrated and just society,” he said, with the eyes of many young people on him. There are photos of Ahearn that show students climbing into the rafters in order to get a good glimpse of Dr. King.

Seeing those images of students in the rafters challenges me. The effort they exerted just to see Dr. King makes me ask myself, “Do I care enough about the state of racial justice in our country? Would I have such reckless abandon so I could be, not just in the room, but deeply committed to the gathering of those working for justice?” It’s a humbling call I always need.

This frequent meditation I would have in front of this statue usually ended in the same way: Making eye contact with Dr. King and allowing the fact that “we still have a long, long way to go” to influence me. Whether it was tears or a refreshment of my resolve to keep working for justice, I wanted to be influenced.

Look within. Fan the flames of your determination to work for a better community for us all.