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Martin Luther King's Movement Inspires Freedom Struggles of Youth Globally

By Mina Fabulous  

Special Representative Reta Jo Lewis for Global Intergovernmental Affairs today said Martin Luther King, Jr.' movement has has inspired freedom struggles of youth around the world.

In her remarks at the Martin Luther King, Jr. ceremony at the Georgia Capital, Atlanta, GA, Ms. Lewis said all over the world today, the youth are taking up the batons of civic engagement.

"Though forever children in our eyes, they are indeed young men and young women with an eye towards building a world free of social ailment. They are springing up against dictatorships and occupying the excesses of corporate inequality; they are insisting upon a stronger respect for our environment and challenging the status quo of bitter partisanship." -Ms. Lewis

She noted that the vision of Dr. King was never in the name of just one man, or one mission-it was a test of strength and courage for a collective lot of people, all vying to reclaim the fabric of their country.

"Their insatiable thirst for justice could never be quenched by just one river, or one stream of ideology. It took a common cause by countless men and women of all races, creeds and colors to burn the barricades of bigotry and bridge impossible divides." -Ms. Lewis

She stressed that although they were there to celebrate that very dream, she cited that perhaps the most profound lesson imparted by Dr. King: is that their work is yet to be finished.

"Because while "the long arc of history" has bent toward what is right racism persists; inequality has yet to be overcome; and the clenched fists of oppression continue to beat down on the hearts and minds of people in far too many corners of the world." -Ms. Lewis

She stated that Dr. King's message of love, tolerance and equality, is not only universal, but also timeless...just as apt today, as it was nearly five decades ago.

"And as Governor Deal pointed out in his remarks last year, "[i]t is a message that deserves to be repeated through the ages." -Ms. Lewis

She pointed out that in order for the youth of today to truly be the leaders of tomorrow; in order for them to become effective advocates for inclusion and vanguards of social change, they must heed the teachings of Dr. King.

"All of us must continue to make those around us aware that the path to social change demands an ethic of public service, a commitment to reconciliation and a spirit of love and mutuality." -Ms. Lewis

She noted that King was only 26 years old when he began preaching the gospel of tolerance. She said Dr. King's principles of understanding even now "are vital to encouraging young minds to build a compassionate world that stands up against inequality, illiteracy, hunger, and poverty, for many generations to come.

"By calling on us to assume the best in one another, and express our common commitments to one another, the equal rights movement was just as much about freeing us from the grip of discrimination, as it was about reimagining the world as one people who could look to one another, learn from one another, and build solutions with one another." -Ms. Lewis

She emphasized that by wedding diversity and tolerance, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made the American dream more accessible. She said by coupling determination with principle, he made justice more attainable.

"Thank you Dr. King. Thank you Georgia. And thank you to anyone who has ever stood up in the name of a more perfect union." -Ms. Lewis

Mina Fabulous follows the news, especially what is going on in the US State Department. Mina turns State Department waffle into plain english. Contact Mina through NewsBlaze.