Let Freedom Ring

I couldn't do much to celebrate MLK Day today, as there was school to make up for a snow day (I'm not happy with that display of priorities by the school board) and I had a sick child at home, preventing me from going to one of the local events. I did listen to some MLK speeches on NPR while waiting to pick up the healthy child from school, and talked about MLK with both kids. What inspires me about Martin Luther King is that he knew that when a righteous battle seems hopeless, that is exactly when you need to fight most. Of course, it becomes more difficult when it isn't clear that the battle is righteous, or that the means of conducting the battle are the most effective. May we all have the wisdom to determine the right course and the strength to follow it.

Great men

Today the whole family went to a service honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. My daughter sang three songs with a group of school kids, the executive council of the local chapter of the NAACP was sworn in, certificates were awarded to children who had shown courage and conflict skills like MLK, and a clip from the upcoming NOVA special on DePauw's own Percy Julian was shown. Afterwards there were activities for the kids in the church basement, emphasizing peace and black history (a great trivia game was set up to match accomplishments to about six famous black people, including Marian Anderson and Langston Hughes).

Last night I found out that Michael Brecker died. I saw him live in 1989, both in concert and at a masterclass. He was really into the EWI at the time, but even then his sheer technique and musicality shined through the technology. I celebrate the accomplishments of King, Julian, and Brecker, mourn the travails each of them went through, and pray that our world can learn from their examples.