It is the 40th anniversary of the assasination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. There won’t be a day as historically significant as this one any time soon with the exception potentially of the innauguaration early next year. I don’t even know how to start or structure this post just with everything swirling thru my head today. All I can think to do is throw a few things up collage/montage style.

These are reflections on and Dr. King’s statments against the Vietnam conflict:

This clip is the most well known speech in its entirety:

Decade remembrances are custom made for reflection on how the world has changed and where it’s going. This day in particular is always significant for me specifically because I was born the day Dr. King was assasinated. Today is my birthday and my parents, instead of giving me the name they had picked out, named me Martin in his honor. I’m still waiting for someone to ask me “Where were you when Dr. King was killed?” so I can reply, “I was giving my mother labor pains (LOL).

But in the spirit of history and forward planning let me share a few significant items with you. If you are a young parent like me make plans to go to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and give your young ones a good visual impression of the times past and the possibilities forward. If you can make it all one southern regional tour continue north to Memphis and visit the National Civil Rights Museum/Lorraine Motel site where Rev. King was shot that fatefull day. Of course no historic site tour is complete without going to the Martin Luther King Museum National Historic Site in Atlanta, Dr. King’s hometown. It’s run by the National Park Service and you sites like the King Center for Non-Violent Social Change and Ebenezer Baptist Church where he once preached. You can also go to the historic district in downtown Montgomery and visit Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where Dr. King also pastored.

Clarence Jones was Dr. King’s personal lawyer for many years and he has a new book out, “What Would Martin Say?”. See the link to the left, buy a copy and take Dr. King’s theories and life applications forward.

You would think I could put together something more significant for the greatest American of the 20th century but at the least it’s a snapshot of the impressions of greatness and positive advancement that Dr. King’s legacy have always had on me. I’m grateful God sent a force like this man like this to help force the country do and be it’s best. I pray that I can have just a fraction of the impact that he did. Hope this inspires you to learn more and do better in your life as well.