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“We Shall Overcome, Someday…”
By Sherman Ragland | January 21, 2008
I am never quite sure what the “salutation” should be when discussing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (MLK Day).
“Happy Martin Luther King Day”, just does not seem appropriate, or respectful to a man who in fact gave his life for a cause bigger than any one person.
While it is true that during the Civil Rights movement of the late 50’s/60’s many people were injured, and many people were permanently scared, and many people killed… Martin Luther King, Jr. started receiving death threats from the very hour he came into the public eye “daring” to discuss the fact publicly and openly that America had failed to live up to its promise for a significant block of its citizens. And from the very hour of the first day many who knew Dr. King, knew that he knew that ultimately, what ever happened, at some point in time Dr. King was not going to, in his own words, “come out alive”.
It is said that courage is not finding the strength to do something that is hard, rather courage is knowing that what you are about to undertake is going to be painful, risky/dangerous, full of uncertainty and in the presence of fear and intimidation, getting up and going forward anyway.
Today we do not just honor the Memory of a slain preacher, “son of the South”,”Morehouse Man”, Alpha Phi Alpha brother, civil rights leader…
Today we honor the LEGACY of a person who showed every American what the word “COURAGE” means. If you have never read it, I encourage you to make some time today to read Dr. King’s (now) famous letter, which he wrote from his jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama.
This letter was written in 1963, after King and others were arrested for having the audacity to march peacefully down the street to protest the fact that American’s of dark skin color were not allowed the same rights others. ARRESTED for standing up for the very thing this country was founded upon, and was suppose to be “Protected, GIVEN Rights” for ALL Americans under the US Constitution.
It is a moving letter not only for what Dr. King advocated MUST be done, but also what he felt SHOULD NOT BE DONE. Written almost 9 years after the very first demonstration, which was lead by Dr. King in Montgomery, Alabama.
Here is a link, if you have never read this letter, my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania (PENN) has a copy on their website at: http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
One Man, One Person, One Soul, when moved and infused with “Courage”,can change the world… In fact, history tells us that this is always the way that change comes about.
In honor of Dr. King, I hope that you will join me this afternoon at NOON, to listen in to a very special Realinvestors’ Talk Radio LIVE Taping. It is a show about “Courage” as Dr. King taught us, and it is about learning how to “Over Come”, regardless of the antagonist in our life that is attempting to keep us held captive.
My guest will be Lisa Woods, who most recently closed on her very first real estate deal. By itself, this was a tremendous event. What you will find most inspiring, I believe, is that two-weeks after making the decision to start investing, Lisa was diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Despite what she was told, despite what she had to go through, she determined that she would face the odds “head-on” and “OVER COME”.
I hope you will be able to join us LIVE at Noon today:
Time: 12:00 P.M. (EST)
Dial-In Number: 212-990-8004
Call-in Pin #: 2360
-Sherman
P.s. – “Deep in my heart, I do believe, We shall overcome some day”
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Tags: alpha phi alpha, birmingham alabama, civil rights leader, civil rights movement, dr king, martin luther king, martin luther king day, martin luther king jr, morehouse man, sherman ragland, word courage
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