Jan
16
Written by:
host
1/16/2009 7:00 AM
When I was in third grade, my best friend, Vicki, was African-American. Young, naïve and color-blind, I didn’t understand why her mother felt it necessary after a play date invitation was extended, to call my mother and make sure that my parents were aware of the color of their family’s skin. I was reminded of this experience while looking ahead to next week.
Monday is Martin Luther King Day, the Federal holiday set aside each year to celebrate the birth, the life and the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (I invite you to view Monday as more than a day off – if you are so lucky – and to embrace the opportunity to learn more about Dr. King’s life and work.) The very next day, our country will make history as our first African-American president is inaugurated.
I celebrate the accomplishment of Barack Obama and what his presidency symbolizes. Yet, at the same time, the fact that his inauguration is a historic moment because of the color of his skin also stirs up some feelings of sadness in me.
Won’t it be fantastic when, throughout God’s world, equality is so widespread that accomplishments stand alone and are not remarkable for the gender, skin color, sexual orientation or economic status of the person?
God’s work among and through us is not finished. Let us be patient, but not inactive. Together we will continue dreaming and working towards that goal!
~Sally Hoelscher