today is martin luther king day and the eve of obama's inauguration. i got an invite this morning from my obama campaign team to go to a multicultural peace celebration rally. we listened to a few speakers today, one that stood out for me was rev. williams (supposedly, he's a big deal columnist and pastor that's getting a lot censorship from conservatives and republicans). at the rally, he talked about how america is based on movements; the american revolution, women's rights, labor rights (woot ceasar chavez) and civil rights which mlkj is most recognized for. he reminded us about how passionate and dedicated martin was for the civil rights movement. that he put his whole life towards equal rights for all of us. he lived, breathed and died for it. william then concluded that it is our duty as a collaborative to do more because these movements are still happening. and with current world events, the least we can do is to remind ourselves that non-violent political action is just as powerful and that living a life on loving service to others is paramount.
coming back from the motherland, i have a completely new view for myself as well as how others perceive me. my eyes are finally seeing and feeling what still exists here in america: racial and gender profiling. as a young, first generation, asian american woman, it is my duty to my heritage and to all of the leaders who dedicated their lives to continue the movement towards equality. with obama in office, the symbolism alone has already strengthen racial identity and changes how we plan about moving forward on race relations.
let's not watch history, let's be a part of it.
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