MLK, I Have A Dream

On this day we celebrate the birth and legacy of Dr Martin Luther King, it is somehow appropriate we also begin No Name Calling week. I think Dr King would approve this initiative whose purpose is to combat prejudicial speech and bullying in schools. It was Dr King's dream for men to be judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin. It is the dream of those who started the No Name Calling initiative that all students black, brown, yellow, red and white, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Straight, Geek or not, rich or poor to feel and be safe in their pursuit of an education. The two dreams are not mutually exclusive. We can change the content of our character through education as we teach the generations following us acceptance, tolerance and proactive cooperation with people of all stripes. We can achieve these dreams. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve. Let us rededicate ourselves to the achievement of these dreams.

UPDATE:

After I wrote the above commentary, I ran across the New York Observer's report on the speech given by Barack Obama at Dr King's Ebenezer Baptist Church. I thought it would fit well here so without edit here is what Senator Obame said:

"If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King’s vision of a beloved community. We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them. The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community. For too long, some of us have seen immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity.

So let us say that on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts and minds. The division, the stereotypes, the scape-goating, the ease with which we blame our plight on others – all of this distracts us from the common challenges we face – war and poverty; injustice and inequality. We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late."

Very well said, maybe we too should heed what he has to say and look to ourselves to help tear down this wall while we still can.

Now that the formalities are out of the way, let us celebrate the beauty of the black man as evidenced by today's selections in the eye candy section. Until next time as always, Enjoy!