#MLKDay 2023, Be Free!
MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY #2023, Be Free!
Dr. #MLKDay 2023, Be Free!
As I sat and scrolled through photo after photo of the Honorable Dr. Martin Luther King and pondered which picture to select, I decided not to use any images of him.
Why?
I want to use my creative mind and paint the picture through this blog. My photo above shows a concerned face. I was born a year after Dr. MLK was murdered. I can not imagine how his wife and children felt losing a man of his caliber so young. But to honor this man of color on a day dedicated to his achievements, I pray that you will read to the end.
When I close my eyes and think of Dr. MLK, I think of peaceful, friendly, strong, manservant, loving, intelligent, determined, holy, sad, angry, shackles, disappointed, betrayed, loved, and lonely. Those are all words I think to describe the times and him at his death. I do not know anyone from his family. I was born after his death. But what history has shown me or what I have taken from the time account is the words above. You may disagree. That is okay!
If Dr. MLK was alive today, he would still be disappointed in how far we are not. So many individuals died to reach the provincial point in history today, but so many things have gone backward.
He and others marched to have human rights and dignity. But today, many of our past wins in legislation have gone backward. It does not matter what side of the aisle or table you are on. The march back to the right to life or choice is a freedom many are unhappy about. The human right to get vaccinated or not. But many individuals, whether you are of color or not, do not understand that the process to disagree but to allow mankind the freedom of choice is truly what Dr. MLK was reaching for.
A time when regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, or social and economic status, we would be free as Americans to decide what was best for us.
We do live in the land of the FREE, right!
Our constitution gives us the right to be free. We can bare arms, right! Why not freedom and dignity in character, mind, body, and spirit. To love. To hate. To embody. To learn. To disagree! To agree! To shake across the table and agree that we do not agree without malice, evil intent, and retaliation mentally, verbally, or by deed.
I do not agree with everything that has happened in our legislation. However, we live in a country where it is a democracy. Not a dictatorship. That is where I pray we must stay. We are not robots. We are human beings!
Dr. MLK and others purposely, peacefully without violence, marched for freedom.
Power to be a peaceful individual is power within itself. It is easy to be mad, angry, nasty, and mean-spirited. It is much harder to restrain your anger and produce something peaceful instead.
On this MLK day, whatever you are doing, you reflect on your approach in #2023 as a free individual. During my CCBC Upward Bound Catonsville recruitment presentation, I tell the students in the Baltimore County Public Schools presentations that "Education is the key that unlocks freedom. Unknown author"
If we are not first free in our mind, we are not free.
Try uncluttering your mind of hate, evil, meanspiritedness, anger, jealousy, and covertness, and think of all the shoulders of the individuals who marched in peaceful harmony for us to experience freedom. They came from all walks of life marching, locking arms, and marching towards the common good of all mankind. The March on Washington took place on August 1963. He passed in April 1968, 55 years ago.
The right to be who we are. To love who we want. To bear arms. To start a family or not. To send our children to the school of choice, private, public, or homeschooled.
My God, Jesus Christ, gives me the will to choose. I can either adhere to His will for my life or not. I do not answer to mankind; I answer to Him. How I decide to live here on earth will determine my destiny. Some people call it karma. However, whatever you want to call it, we must as a World get back to common sense approaches to governance where an individual's right to choose is just that. No one should take that choice from us, not the government, violence, or mankind. In 2023, shake a hand instead of throwing a punch across a table. Or worse, taking out a Glock and killing someone. Spirited debate is nuanced. Once again, we are not robots. That is healthy!
The power to be able to negotiate on your beliefs shows intelligence. Hurting someone with a weapon shows weakness and a lack of intelligence.
Let's get back to being truly great. Not all great minds think alike. That is why God states we are one body but of many parts. What I may be great at, you may need to improve. However, we make a fabulous body when the many features come together.
As I think about what MLK Day means, I think of freedom. I think of peace. I think of collaborations. A nation that is strong and resilient because of our differences of opinion. I think about not being ashamed of being who I am, a Black American, Christian, Single, Celibate for over 20 years, Empty-nester, Sister, Mother, Aunt, Great Aunt, Cousin, Friend, Mother-In-Law, Grandhuman to granddogs, Employee, CEO, Founder, Business Person, Entrurperuner, Driver, Contractor, Consultant, Podcaster, Producer, Blogger, Author, Writer, Republican, Intelligent, and heterosexual female that uses the pronouns of she/her/hers.
I think of being able to voice my opinion without being censored. Caring for others when I share my thoughts or beliefs. I think of being not apoplectic because I do not agree with your stance, politics, philosophies, or religious convictions. Even if we sit on the same side of the aisle or table.
Still, I decided to respect you because you are who God created. You are not me, and I am not you, but I respect you for who you are. You are free. I am free. Are we sure? Are we?! Yes!
We are free, RIGHT?
I thought so.
Let's embody freedom as not just an act, speech, or thought but of being.
Be Free!
Have a blessed MLK Day.
Photo Above (CEO, Sole Owner & Founder of Triumphant Athletic Agency, Ms. Tabu Winslow Morris, MBA)
If you are lonely today and need someone to speak to, please contact the National Alliance of Mental Health, dial 988, or the Black Mental Health Alliance. Please only seek help if you need it. God loves you! Love yourself too!
Let's play ball and Win!
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If you are lonely today and need someone to speak to, please contact the National Alliance of Mental Health, dial 988, or the Black Mental Health Alliance. Please only seek help if you need it. God loves you! Love yourself too!
Let's play ball and Win!
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