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Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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Today our American cousins celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in honour of Dr. King who spoke out for civil rights. It is no surprise that many Canadians respect the man and his message, and also pay homage to him.

A few links of interest:

Compare these thoughts–

from the City of Toronto 2008 proclamation:

The people of Toronto are in the forefront of efforts to establish a caring and compassionate society based on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and disadvantage and the inherent ability within each of us to recognize that the fundamental strength of our community is our diversity.

The residents of Toronto honour Dr. King’s memory each year with a day of remembrance in January, to reaffirm our commitment to the basic principles of human rights, equality and justice.

from the column by Minister Little:

I remain disappointed by the approaches taken by leaders in my generation to tackle these challenges. I think leaders in the 1960s spoke to marginalized people in a hopeful voice. There was a sense that if we could only remove the barriers of racism and classism that enslaved people, the sky was the limit. Today, as I listen to leaders who speak for those in marginalized communities, I have the sense that their fallback position remains passive support programs. To me, true justice is not only the equity of wealth but the self-confidence that my dreams and your dreams are possible, and that we have it within ourselves to make this happen.

Reading these thoughts, and others I found while surfing the web, it would appear that Dr. King’s dream is still alive and well, but still a goal as yet unreached.

Comments

  1. Michel-Adrien Sheppard
    January 21st, 2008 at 6:20 pm

    The Law Librarian Blog lists materials about The Legal Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

  2. Omar Ha-Redeye
    January 21st, 2008 at 7:00 pm

    Great resources Connie!

    I was looking for something like this for Feb., and I’m glad you could provide.

    I agree though, we have a long way to go to fulfill that dream. But like all inspirational leaders, it’s the vision that is the toughest part to define.

  3. david spates
    January 21st, 2008 at 7:50 pm

    I made a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day video that I think EVERYONE will enjoy. It’s really short, and should put a smile on your face.

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=AtugYg42mmc

    Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day everybody

    David Spates

    http://www.youtube.com/davidspates

  4. Connie Crosby
    January 21st, 2008 at 9:50 pm

    Michel-Adrien: thank you for the fantastic links! My focus was on finding Canadian content. These bibliographies are (not surprisingly) fantastic.

    Omar: glad to oblige. I look forward to your discussion in February.

    David: Thank you for your video link. I learned today that in the U.S. MLK Day is a holiday for those in government, schools, and banks. Most others in the private sector do not have it as a holiday. Your video points out in an amusing way this awkward discrepancy.

    Cheers,
    Connie