In April 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a Letter from a Birmingham jail. While lengthy and in parts directed to certain addresses, he presented a report and response to both current events and history of this nation. All of it is very worth reading, but I present here his final entry of summation:
"Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty."
I give pause to think that these 56 years later, racial tensions remain in our nation and there seems to be no victory in view. Another tension that remains, and is promulgated today, is vile political tension. Our nation stands today distinctly and harshly divided; comparable I fear to the Civil War era. Extreme ideologies are clashing wildly again, with much of the same violence faced in Dr. King's lifetime.
My suggestion-no, my strong recommendation-is that we each honorably remember Dr. King this month by individually conducting a contemplative review of his writings, his beliefs, and his hope for our United States of America.
Jeff Berg
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Brainerd
