Turning the other cheek

We talk a lot about things we learned in high school that we didn't really appreciate way back then, but we do now. One such thing is today.

We have a shirt from 1993 that reads, "I am Martin Luther King Jr." We wear it often. It's not a goof or a statement of arrogance, it's more a simple reminder that we all, when representing ourselves and a human race, are part of Dr. King's legacy.

In high school, we had workshops on the teachings of Dr. King and the importance of diversity. It wasn't done because it was the right thing to do, or the cool thing to do. It was done because the people running this school recognized the importance of teaching a generation of kids three things: tolerance, acceptance and love.

As millions of politicians wear Dr. King pins today, and some assholes continue to rally against him and the message of tolerance, we pause to say thank you to Dr. King and the entire Civil Rights Movement for enacting change.

We'll end today's post with a letter to President Eisenhower from 12-year-old Leah Russell. The letter, written in 1957, appears in "Letters to the Oval Office" by Dwight Young. It's a fascinating read. Leah, by the way, is blind.

If I were president, I would have all the children blindfolded and send them to school. I was also send some of the colored children and have them blindfolded. I think that all of them would have a lot of fun and there wouldn't be any fights.

President Eisenhower's response? "She has already grasped one of the great moral principles by which we all should live."