I always ask myself what if Martin Luther King were alive today? After attending the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., I felt a sense of honor to be present to witness Barack Obama begin his second term as the first African American president of the United States. Before attending the inauguration, I stopped by the MLK Memorial to observe and pay my respects to the real reason we have an African American president in the White House, Martin Luther King Jr, and as I saw pictures being taken of the monument and people in awe of how great the structure is, I found myself wondering if Dr. King would be proud of the events taking place on the weekend of the inauguration? Though the moment is special and significant at the utmost, I find myself believing that Dr. King would be more troubled today at the Chicago murder rates among African Americans, the high prison population among men in the black community, and the thousands of kids being raised without their fathers around. These examples are trends in our community that are very real and all too familiar that leave me puzzled.
I was blessed to have my father for 21 years of my life before he succumbed to cancer, and I regret that he never got to see our first African American president in the White House, though I learned many things from my father I still have a long life ahead of me to live and I must be an example to my community as Dr. King was to past and present generations.
We will need many more Dr. Kings and President Obamas in the years to come, who will stand up for what is right, be an example to those who feel forgotten, be a father to their children, and believe that no dream is out of reach, a fact we all bore witness to on Jan. 21, 2013. –necorey johnson
