An open letter to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and our nation's rendezvous with history
Sajit Kabadi, Diversity Coordinator, Provost and Academic Affairs
Issue date: 2/9/09 Section: Perspectives
This Perspectives piece was published in the January 26 issue of the Highlander.
Dear Dr. King,
Again this year I celebrate the greatness of your life and the great themes of justice, peace, democracy, and citizenship you espoused and ultimately gave your life for. I am truly grateful to you for the life opportunities bestowed on my family and me throughout the years. I'm fully aware that my life could inevitably be very different if it wasn't for you and so many others that advocated on behalf of me and the future children of our country.
Dr. King, this year your holiday revolves around on the great history we as a country will achieve on Tuesday, January 20 as we swear in the first African American President of the United State, Barack Obama. In the days leading up to this historic event, there has been countless people in the media airwaves and in classrooms all over the United States that have attempted to address, analyze, and articulate the significance of this historic event. Dr. King, I would love to get your reflections and guidance on the following questions I have as we embark from this historic event to perhaps a new frontier for our country.1. Dr. King, did you ever imagine such an event happening in America and what does this mean to you personally as a leader of the civil rights movement in the 20th century?
2. Dr. King, how does the year of 2009 compare and contrast to the year of 1968 in America and the times you lived in?
3. Dr. King, I have heard this idea of a "post racial society". What are your thoughts on this term?
4. How will the election of Obama affect the plight of marginalized peoples of this country and the world?
5. Dr. King along with you, I've had so many justice and peace activists to look up to (Mohandas Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Cesar Chavez, and so many others). Who in your opinion are these activists in our world today?
6. Finally Dr. King, how impactful will the election of Barack Obama truly be on my life as a person of color and the father of my two interracial daughters?
Dr. King thank you for all you've done and for being an inspiration to me. It is my prayer that you will inspire hope and faith for our new president and all of us that we can embody the values you espoused in constantly reflecting on the all important question of "how we ought to live".
With great affection and humility,
Sajit Kabadi
Dear Dr. King,
Again this year I celebrate the greatness of your life and the great themes of justice, peace, democracy, and citizenship you espoused and ultimately gave your life for. I am truly grateful to you for the life opportunities bestowed on my family and me throughout the years. I'm fully aware that my life could inevitably be very different if it wasn't for you and so many others that advocated on behalf of me and the future children of our country.
Dr. King, this year your holiday revolves around on the great history we as a country will achieve on Tuesday, January 20 as we swear in the first African American President of the United State, Barack Obama. In the days leading up to this historic event, there has been countless people in the media airwaves and in classrooms all over the United States that have attempted to address, analyze, and articulate the significance of this historic event. Dr. King, I would love to get your reflections and guidance on the following questions I have as we embark from this historic event to perhaps a new frontier for our country.1. Dr. King, did you ever imagine such an event happening in America and what does this mean to you personally as a leader of the civil rights movement in the 20th century?
2. Dr. King, how does the year of 2009 compare and contrast to the year of 1968 in America and the times you lived in?
3. Dr. King, I have heard this idea of a "post racial society". What are your thoughts on this term?
4. How will the election of Obama affect the plight of marginalized peoples of this country and the world?
5. Dr. King along with you, I've had so many justice and peace activists to look up to (Mohandas Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Cesar Chavez, and so many others). Who in your opinion are these activists in our world today?
6. Finally Dr. King, how impactful will the election of Barack Obama truly be on my life as a person of color and the father of my two interracial daughters?
Dr. King thank you for all you've done and for being an inspiration to me. It is my prayer that you will inspire hope and faith for our new president and all of us that we can embody the values you espoused in constantly reflecting on the all important question of "how we ought to live".
With great affection and humility,
Sajit Kabadi
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