By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
originally published January 1, 2011
On January 21 we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., which was really on January 15, 1929. We’ve all heard a lot about King over the years, his “I have a dream” speech, and the details of his death. He was a non-violent voice for human equality that unfortunately met a very violent end, as he stood on a hotel balcony to get fresh air on April 4, 1968. A prison escapee shot him. But who was he, really?
We may never know King on a personal level, now that his wife Coretta Scott King is gone. But his legacy is something that has been unmatched. Only recently I learned that his words stretched far beyond our borders.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed in the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba holds a special banquet at his office as an act of unifying his city’s call for peace with King’s message of human rights.
Israel has a national forest in honor of King, and also observes a special session in parliament on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This observance is meant to exemplify King’s values of hope and peaceful co-existence between people of diverse backgrounds. King was also a supporter of Israel while he was alive.
Within our borders, the house where King was born in Atlanta is a National Historic site, and nearby is the King Center which includes exhibits illustrating his life and teachings, Library & Archives, Bookstore and Resource Center, and other facilities. There are also countless parks across the U.S. dedicated in his name.
So it’s shocking to learn that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was first observed as a federal holiday in 1986. What took so long? I guess the civil rights movement, as important as it was in the 1960s, did not truly take hold in the minds of many men until more recent times. And some may say we still have a ways to go. Rest in peace Rev. King. Happy 82nd Birthday.
Veronica MacDonald Ditko is originally from the Jersey Shore, but married and settled in northern New Jersey. Her journalism career started a decade ago after studying Psychology and Anthropology in Massachusetts. She has written for several newspapers and magazines including The Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Springfield Union News and Sunday Republican, Happi, Chemical Week, The Hawthorne Press, The Jewish Standard, Suite101.com and more.
Originally published January 18, 2013