How We Can Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During Inauguration Week
When it came time for him to die, Dr. King instructed his heirs to ignore all of his life awards and merely say, “I want you to be able to say that day that I tried to feed the hungry. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe the naked. I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.”
Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many Americans, my father had a dream. It was to assist youth in need. In that role, he served as a Louisiana district attorney during the Jim Crow era, where he was deeply involved in reforming the juvenile justice system. In his private time, he served as a volunteer with the Lions’ Clubs of Louisiana youth camps for disabled children. In my life, I try to model my father’s example as best I can.
As for the new President, if I could give him one piece of advice, it would be to take time out to watch the highly acclaimed movie, “Lincoln,” which dramatically re-enacts the passage of the 13th Amendment (ending slavery) in early 1865, at the end of the Civil War, and near the end of President Lincoln’s life. This movie dramatically shows what miracles can happen when a principled President will work through the seemingly insurmountable problems he faces in a hostile Congress – good lessons for today’s politicians!
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