MLK

A good way to mark MLK Day in our town: take a tour of historic Nashville sites in African-American history. And read the late David Halberstam’s The Children, a first-hand account of the early days of the civil rights movement centering on the time he spent reporting in Nashville a half-century ago.*

And of course, “Letter from Birmingham Jail“: …Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood… To a degree, academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practiced civil disobedience… 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. Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood, Martin Luther King, Jr.

*POSTSCRIPT: Younger Daughter and I made a nice outing of it, after discovering a map online that enabled us to locate several major 1960 sit-in sites downtown. Then a stroll through the historic Arcade took us in the direction of the remodeled Courthouse Square, bounded by historical plaques marking this city’s complex racial history. We need more such holidays dedicated to the remembrance of heroism past.