I hadn’t really planned on writing something related to Martin Luther King Jr. day today. I don’t feel overly qualified to talk about race relations or about truly suffering for a cause. But, after watching the video posted by Michael Hyatt today and subsequent discussion of leadership lessons learned from Dr. King, I just had to write down some of the thoughts going through my head.
I honestly cannot fathom what African-Americans went through, especially during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. When I sat down and considered what the equivalent would be in my daily life to be African-American up through the 1960s, I’m quickly humbled. Being a white male, I’ve never truly experienced that other than one time, and that one experience was incredibly uncomfortable.
After listening to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, it put some great perspective to the historic event of Barack Obama being elected president. Regardless of any political affiliation, it’s amazing where we’ve come since 1964. On the other hand, I have a feeling that Dr. King would be disappointed that the media seems to make every issue related to the president somehow about race, like the recent events in Haiti.
I think Michael had it right when he discussed Dr. King’s leadership. Above all else, he was a leader. There very well may have been no civil rights movement without Dr. King’s vision, tenacity, and heart.
So, Dr. King, thank you for showing me what it takes to follow my dreams, be a visionary, and most of all, lead with a relentless passion that encompasses God and those that are struggling. It gives me renewed strength to pursue my own dreams.
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