Lessons In Civil Rights Movements Taught By The King
Written by Jori Meyer, Posted on , in Section Essential Reads
With the celebration of Martin Luther King day comes all the comparisons with it. People from all walks of life know and respect the things the MLK did for not just America's black population but for every American and a lot of others around the world as well. No one will never not respect The Civil Rights Movement, but can the same be said for others that seek to replicate it?
The young LGBT community seems to draw a lot of inspiration and motivation for the great things Dr. King did. They compare themselves in ways that do indeed draw incredible similarities such as
Swaying the media - "Whoever controls the media, controls the mind."-Jim Morrison. The LGBT movement has done wonders controlling the media, a big reason why it's flourished especially with today’s technology. One of the greatest moments for the Civil Rights Movement in the 60's was Jackie Robinson getting in the Professional League of Baseball. This story was covered far and wide in America, even across the world. A similar story that comes to mind is the Pope Francis acknowledgment of the LGBT times. It was covered and covered again until even some elite religious zealots had some sympathy in their hearts.
Persistence – No matter how long, the black community continued to fight for their rights until change occurred, but some will even go as far to say the change isn’t complete today. And yet, it was the biggest movement of its time. The LGBT community can pull from that and never let up. One must come to the realization that there will always be a man loving another man, as there will always be a black who doesn't love the whites or a white who doesn’t love the blacks. And persevere through that.
“I have fought too hard and for too long against discrimination based on race and color not to stand up against discrimination based on sexual orientation. I’ve heard the reasons for opposing civil marriage for same-sex couples. Cut through the distractions, and they stink of the same fear, hatred and intolerance I have known in racism and in bigotry.” - Congressman, John Lewis, said in an interview.
"...And today I think more than ever before, we have to speak up and speak out to end discrimination based on sexual orientation...Dr. King took a simple argument and said races don’t fall in love and get married. Individuals fall in love and get married. It’s not the business of the federal government, it’s not the business of the state government to tell two individuals that they cannot fall in love and get married. And so I go back to what I said and wrote those lines a few years ago, that I fought too long and too hard against discrimination based on race and color not to stand up and fight and speak out against discrimination based on sexual orientation."
With that being said, I hope to see the LGBT community blossom and make an impact on society's mindset today.
