MLK Day. A Missed Opportunity?

My wife and I recently volunteered at our granddaughter's kindergarten class. A delightful group, and very diverse. This in Atlanta, GA where Dr. Martin Luther King once preached. I think he would have liked to have visited that kindergarten class, or so many others like it around the country.

I came of age in the 60's. We were shaped for better or worse by the Vietnam War and the assassinations of President John Kennedy, brother Robert and of course, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Some how in all this mess we landed on the moon. So many emotions from so many often violent images. The fire hoses and police dogs in Selma. The '68 Democratic Convention. The whole world was watching, but now our attention is drawn elsewhere.

It was a most turbulent and frightening time. As Buffalo Springfield sang, "There's battle lines being drawn. Nobody's right if everybody's wrong. Young people speaking their minds. Getting so much resistance from behind...."

So today we honor the memory and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Or do we? Most schools are closed for the "holiday." There's been a lot of talk on the news how the weather might impact "holiday" skiers. At least the "holiday" hasn't been debased with the like of "Veterans Day" or "Presidents Day" sales here and there. At least not yet.

But the real missed opportunity is closing schools when they should be open instead. We're a generation removed from when Dr. King laid his life on the line, and eventually lost it fighting for civil rights. He envisioned a land where we would all be judged on the content of our character and not by the color of our skin. That kids, regardless of gender or race could all work, play and study together, just like our granddaughter's classroom.

What an opportunity for kids of any age to spend this day focused on what it took to get to us where we are now, and where we need to go in the future. It's the most extraordinary national experience, one that continues to this day.

But while most schools are closed, the ski areas, movie theaters and malls are open.

A missed opportunity.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversations about you"