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YUMA, Ariz. - A man who now stands atop the mountain of American history as our ambassador of goodwill, selflessness and justice.
A man who once called for the general public to reconsider its definition of what it means to succeed. Whose words, “We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to mankind,” still resonate.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., we observe his contribution and service to America by recognizing the third Monday of every January as a federal holiday. Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on November 2, 1983, the nationwide remembrance honors the immeasurably important work of one of America’s most revered icons.
Born to humble beginnings in Atlanta, Ga., on the 15th of January, 1929, King was a middle child in a family of five. Son to a loving mother and father, King also shared his childhood with a younger brother and older sister in a caring home.
Unfortunately, the world young Martin grew up in was not a reflection of the home that raised him. Encounters with racism in the rural South extended from being escorted out of a shoe store through the back exit to being uninvited from fellow schoolmates’ houses to play. In High School, following an oratory contest in Valdosta, Ga., the studious King got a first-hand example of what a Jim Crow, separate-but-equal Southern ideal meant for those who were allowed to sit and who were forced to stand.
Through tough experiences and through the spiritual guidance of his father, Baptist minister Martin Luther King Sr., Martin had a sense of justice ingrained in him from an early age.
His strong sense of and appreciation for knowledge stemmed from his mother, Alberta Williams King, who was a school teacher. At 15-years-old, having skipped his last year of high school, King enrolled at Morehouse College, where he would graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology.
King’s pursuit of knowledge in college undoubtedly strengthened his ideals of what it meant to act with courage, live with dignity, and serve with humility. The importance of which should not be lost on any segment of our population, military and civilian alike.
As King put it, life’s most important question is: “What are you doing for others?”
This year, President Barrack Obama is calling for Americans to consider this an opportunity to help better the local and nationwide community. An effort to get the country’s 2013 off to a running start by helping those around you.
For Marines, Sailors and the community at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, the tenets that guided Martin Luther King Jr.’s life still hold true. Integrity, justice, dignity, commitment and courage are all examples of what we strive for today. The traits Martin Luther King Jr. stood for then are what we all should stand for now.
| Date Taken: | 01.17.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 01.17.2013 11:06 |
| Story ID: | 100643 |
| Location: | YUMA, ARIZONA, US |
| Hometown: | ATLANTA, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | YUMA, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 276 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Martin Luther King Jr. – A Life of Courage, Community and Service, by Sgt Uriel Avendano, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
