Let Freedom Ring
January 18, 2021
On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I have mixed emotions and thoughts, ranging from sadness and hope to confusion and clarity. I recall my childhood lessons about equality and voting; how I learned at a young age that all people are equal, regardless of our differences, and that all US citizens over the age of 18 should exercise their right and privilege to vote.
My head is still shaking in dismay about the riots at the Capitol Building, not far from the Lincoln Memorial, where nearly 60 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. recited his "I Have A Dream" speech. While so much has changed since then, things are not all that different. And on January 6, Dr. King's dream became our nightmare.
Amidst these insurrectionists' threats to our democracy, Dr. King's words from 1963 fit for where we are as a county today. For those of us who have faith in our democracy, we too "refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice."
Our democracy is not a perfect system, yet it provides us with a longstanding foundation for how we conduct ourselves as a nation. We don't get to rewrite history to fit the narrative we want today. And there is no justification for orchestrated tantrums that instill fear to pressure people to go against the written laws as a means of appeasing others, either.
Living in a democracy grants us many privileges, but it does not guarantee that we will like everything that happens, nor does it entitle us to do whatever we want. We cast our votes knowing that the candidates we choose may be the victors while also knowing that they may be the losers. The legitimacy of the election (i.e., counting and certifying the votes) supports our belief in the integrity of the democratic process. Regardless of the outcome, we can then ideally respect and accept the results, even when the winner is not the person of our choosing.
In two days, we will inaugurate our 46th President of the United States, President-Elect Joe Biden. May we witness yet another peaceful transfer of power and continue enjoying the democratic privileges of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And like Dr. King so eloquently said, let's all come together and "let freedom ring."