MLK Day Rundown

"The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends at the elbow of justice." -Dr. King

Today the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, or National Day of Service, was filled with excitement and remembrance of a legend!

Starting at 11, on the windy streets of Downtown Fort Worth, I watched the annual MLK parade. People from all walks of life and races were in attendance. People sung hymns as they walk or rode. Organizations, young and old, fraternities and sororities, high school and college marching bands, community leaders, state representatives and the like – all joined in the festivities. This was sure the scene in most large cities across the nation, as we all paused to honor Dr. King on this federal holiday.

Afterwards, I attended a Battle of the Band. The presentations and crowd was absolutely phenomenal. You could feel the excitement from the students as they danced and played their instruments. Those in attendance were equally elated to be graced by the young students showing off their talents for Dr. King.

Later in the night, St John had a Dr. King celebration. The children did a great job reciting speeches, reading poems, performing through praise dances and singing solos.

Ending the day, I watched “Obama’s America: 2010 and Beyond” on MSNBC with Chris Matthews and Tom Joyner. They were live on the campus of Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. The two-hour feature was packed with interesting views of the state of Black America and how President Obama has helped shape the future of how people perceive racism in America. I will definitely blog about this later in the week.

In all, I really did have a great time celebrating the Dr. King’s Holiday. Here are a few pictures:

What's on the menu?

The Denver Public School system apologized for a racially insensitive headline: "In Honor of M.L. King." The headline, alone, does not have people in uproar; it is the text that follows: "Southern Style" chicken and collard greens. In an attempt to honor Dr. King through food, the district resorted to a stereotypical black person’s meal – chicken and greens.

DPS issued a statement: "[the idea was] highly insensitive in light of certain hurtful cultural stereotypes still harbored in parts of our society."

Does the fact that the district decided to have chicken and greens on MLK Day offend you more than the fact that we have several students dropping out of school, who cannot construct a grammatically correct sentence, or a generation who struggles with math and science?

#i’mjustsaying