Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Said It Best!!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a book before he was assassinated in 1968 titled \"Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos Or Community?\" If you haven't read it, please do. It's definitely needed in this day and time. What he and so many others went through back then fighting for Civil Rights and Social Justice, is still what is going on today. In my opinion nothing seems to have changed.

I'm a history buff, and I have admired and loved people like Dr. King and what they stand for, for standing up in solidarity, for all people, for standing against injustice everywhere and standing up for non-violence. I was just 3 months shy of my 3rd birthday when Dr. King was assassinated. I cried when I saw my mom and dad crying, at that time I didn't know what they were crying about. As I got a little older, at 5 years old, I remember my dad telling me about Dr. King, along with learning about JFK and RFK and Medgar Evers.

I still have the same questions now as I did back then and now that I'm 56 years old I'm even more angry...Why? Why does someone die for what they believe? Why are people murdered for wanting justice? Why are people gunned down and beaten for marching for Civil Rights? Why must anyone be harmed in any way for simply wanting to be treated fairly and as equals? Why do people hate others so much simply for being themselves and of different races and backgrounds....WHY?

I could go on asking more questions and never get one true firm answer for all of them but, I will say this, if we all don't stand up, stand for and stand out like those before us then humanity is doomed. 

I know that I have listed in my bio here that I come from a big military and law enforcement family but, when I was growing up, from the time I was 3 in 1968 until now, my family and extended family of LEO's and military and veterans have fought for injustices of all kinds. That includes ridding our world of bad officers from law enforcement for one thing. My dad never had to go through what law enforcement officers are going through today and I thank God for that but, he's rolling in his grave at how some of the officers today are acting and how they are treating the people they are sworn to protect and serve. It's an outrage and makes me angry, especially with George Floyd. 

To quote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

\"We are confronted with the urgency of now...This may well be mankind's last chance to choose between chaos and community.\"

My dad said something before he passed away in 2009, the day before my son graduated high school: \"Annette, I hope and pray before I die that my only grandson, will not be one of the many who has a world of chaos to live in after you and I are gone. When I served and protected our country in 1956 in the Army and as a law enforcement officer for 31 years in our community, I did my best, we were all family and loved each other. Now look at this world I'm leaving behind, nothing has changed in this whole wide world and I did my best to help make a difference.\" I cried, I told him that yes, he did his job, he did make a difference, our small community back then was better for it. I told my dad that I have been raising his grandson into being the type of man that raised me. 

My son is 30 years old and when I say he has the wisdom of an old soul, it's true, his grandfather is in him, in his soul. I taught my son what I learned from my dad growing up and what I was taught in school that isn't taught more today: learning more about all those who fought for injustices, for change for equal rights for all, about those who were killed fighting for freedom, for their race. The list went on...My son is better for it. I taught him to be the man he should be and be great at it, to stand up for something and others, to treat people the way you want to be treated and love and respect for others. 

For us to continue to strive to make our world a better place than we found it, we must stand together, stand up for each other, stand out  and speak up. 

\"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.\"~Martin Luther King, Jr.