MLK

At my part time job I work as a collector at bank talking to people who overdraft on their deposit accounts. When they call in or we call them we usually come to an agreement on a specific date when they plan to make a deposit. So working over the three day weekend I spoke to so many people who said they will come in the bank on Monday January 18, 2009. To my surprise when I informed them that we wouldn't be open that day most responded with questions asking why. After their questions, I had to tell them that we're observing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. When they heard it some responded with a simple "oh" or "let's make it Tuesday then" however some replied with "Well what's that have to do with the bank" or "Ok, so why are you closing." The more customers I spoke with the more frustrated I got. I don't think it was the fact that they still wanted the bank to be open but more so the fact that they didn't know what day it was.

People throughout history who are remembered and celebrated by having a holiday are usually well known. Everyone knows why we get Columbus Day, Veterans Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, and July 4th off. You know that Columbus sailed to the new world, veterans fought in wars, presidents did great things for America, fallen soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and our founding fathers paved the way for the United States. So why is it that on MLK day many people are uneducated on the value of the day and the purpose of why we observe it? Is what Dr. King represented less worthy of recognition? Is the civil rights struggle not an important part in the history of the United States. I refuse to believe that this is the case.

Our illustrious county has a dishonorable past from killing and taking Native American's land, to slavery, to civil rights, to the Vietnam conflict. We are well versed on many of the issues and mistakes our country has made. I think the issue stems with admitting those mistakes and taking the time to make it right. Of course in some cases the damage is already done however we are not far removed from the shameful remembrance of Jim Crow and Voting Rights. This means that as American citizens we should feel a sense of responsibility in understanding the nationally recognized holiday in remembrance of Dr. King. I believe that a lot of people, especially those that cannot relate or feel unaffected by the civil rights movement, do not feel a certain obligation to fully understand what MLK Day is about. We cannot begin to forget already the events that transpired in the time of the civil rights movement and not only Dr. King but all the leaders who were key people in the outcome of the movement.

Even though the movement and people involved in it may not get as much recognition and everyone may not know the importance, the people that do should make it their personal duty to try to educate and if not at least provoke thought to those they may come across that are uninformed. The only way we can really understand what we are and where we're going is to know where we have been and what we came from. I know the holiday is over but continue to let you're light shine in dark place to educate the masses. Dr. King did a lot, then again so did Malcolm X, Huey P. Newton, Fred Hampton, Medgar Evers, and Ida B. Wells and even though they may not have their own holiday we cannot forget the importance of all people who worked hard so we can have the rights we enjoy today. In addition, if you feel that a certain part of history may not directly pertain to you it does not make that matter less important. So when the customers talk to me on the phone and don't know why we have monday off, I just simply try to quickly educate them and inspire them to know why we're going to be closed. We're taking a day off to ensure that we will continually make it our duty to "Let freedom ring."