Quite the day in the U S of A! Not only is it a holiday respecting the birth of Martin Luther King but the Inauguration Day for President Obama…not a coincidence I am sure. I find this a special day for me too.
It would be no surprise for those who know me that one of my personal heroes is Dr. King. True, I was very young when he gained fame for giving his life in the cause of American civil rights and being Canadian, his name was not as mentioned as south of our border. Yet, I have a very clear memory of something he said that not only resonated for me but truly became a guiding light in my life. To paraphrase; He dreamed of a world where people would not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character! Clearly, we are not all the way there but we are better than we were, because of people like King.
Now, and in what has to be the most obvious of revelations, we have a second term for a black man as President of the United States. I don’t know this but I feel safe assuming that Dr. King and his supporters also dreamed of a black president, but like many dreams, probably unattainable, yet here we are.
By the way, if you are wondering what a white guy without arms from rural Saskatchewan, Canada would find so heroic about a black civil rights leader from the Deep South of America? Well, first, he was right! I am far from perfect in my belief systems but one I am confident in is a belief that all people are human beings whose shade of skin, religious beliefs (or none), sexual orientation or language(s) spoken is secondary to who they are. Imagine how many times I am described by my physical characteristics? “He’s the guy without arms! Crippled! Disabled! Handicapped! Blah, Blah, Blah!”
My name is Alvin Law and while my having no arms is a significant element in my life and will always be what people see first, I have always hoped people could see deeper; and they have.
My world in 2013 is light years ahead of how it was in the 1960’s when I first considered these thoughts. One of my favourite examples is a much told story about my education. In 1966, there was zero inclusion of special needs children in regular schools. The idea was ridiculous but society accepted it without question. Today, society is in a completely different place, and it changed because of people like my parents who asked a simple question…”Why not!” It wasn’t simple, but the answers came and as a result, I got a proper education which led me to reach a potential I can guarantee would not have happened in the “old school thinking”.
Today, amongst many fine things President Obama said in his Inauguration Address, one stood out for me and for various reasons, it seems most folks. He challenged Americans (and I believe everyone around the world) to support civil rights for gay marriage and in my mind, this extends to those whose sexual orientation makes straight folks feel a tad uncomfortable. I need to be very blunt here: what happens in our bedrooms are nobody’s business! As long as it isn’t harmful or exploitative, it is supposed to be private, but alas, this subject is not private, thus a reference in a Presidential Speech! Obama also spoke aggressively and passionately about how America’s ideals were based on all people being created equal! I guess a few folks missed that meeting!
I could write about this for days but let me conclude by simply saying: Happy Birthday Dr. King. Your dream is closer than ever to coming true. Thanks for your action, your inspiration and your ultimate sacrifice to make not just America, but the world, a better place to live…for all of us!