Racial healing … every day

A“National Day of Racial Healing,” is celebrated annually on the Tuesday after Mar tin Luther King Jr. Day. The W.K. Kello gg Foundation founded this in 2017 as pa rt of its ef fo rt to open and encourage discussion about racism and reconciliation.

As he expressed in his “I have a dream” speech, Mar tin Luther King sought to unite rather than divide our nation. He advo cated for honoring all human beings, respecting our dif ferences, and encouraging us to vote. Sadly, too many folks do not understand that our dive rsity is wh at gives our country it s unique strength and greatness White supremacists and the ignorant of our nation continue to infect us with the diseases of racism and bigotr y. This is an assault on our Constitution and d emocra cy. All citizens are equal under the law and have the right to vote and pursue freedom. Because these basic rights are too often ignored, good Americ ans have found it necessary to establish a day designated for racial healing .

T he day Mar tin Luther King was as- sassinated had a huge impact on me. I felt with his deat h that his dream died as well, and with it, our future hope. W hen this occu rred, I was on the West Side of Chicago at Roosevelt School, tutoring children with F lorence Malone, a friend from Oak Pa rk . A policeman inter rupted our class to info rm us that Mar tin Luther King had been assassinated. He told us not to leave the building.