“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
– Amos 5:24
This past week marked the 50th anniversary of the “March on Washington”, when a quarter million people of all races, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and ways of life walked peacefully to the Lincoln Memorial and listened to Dr. Martin Luther King speak. We now call it his “I Have a Dream” speech, but at the time, it was a speech for this specific event. A call had gone out across the country to all people who were willing to step up and demonstrate their belief in the importance of civil rights for every citizen of this country. And step up they did. It never fails to put a lump in my throat and bring tears to my eyes to see those black and white film clips of so many people, dressed in their nicest clothes, peacefully gathering in front of the memorial to the president who freed the ancestors of many of them.
In 1963, there was no round-the-clock cable TV news, no constant, detailed, endless coverage of anything and everything that could even be considered news. But as time has gone on, the events of those years and the struggle to gain equal rights for all people, I am even more moved by the words of this man, speaking with such eloquence from his heart and having the courage to speak to the hearts of his listeners. These words no doubt gave strength and determination to those who knew there was a long, hard road ahead of them as they claimed the rights that were theirs, and still give inspiration fifty years later.
We who have never been denied service in a restaurant, who have never been turned away from a polling place, or not allowed to enroll our children in the school of our choice, have a great responsibility to continue advocating and doing the right thing, in order that all of our sisters and brothers live as equals in this country that God has so generously blessed.
“… and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
– Micah 6:8
Your Friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers