My Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Newspaper Columns
King Holiday 2016: Hidden Biases of Good People - A hidden impact of stereotypes is the denial of fair consideration to people not in our group. Good people do not intend to deny opportunities to others based on stereotypes, but we do.
King Holiday 2015: Departed Leaders Leave Local MLK Day Legacy - Our community lost two stalwart leaders in 2014: Carole McReynolds Davis and Ava Moore. Both were instrumental in establishing an integrated celebration of the Martin Luther King holiday back in 1995.
King Holiday 2014: Reflecting on Race Relations - No one can truly understand our country, or our state, without understanding the role race has played in our development as a nation.
King Holiday 2013: With Liberty and Justice for All - If we want to bring about change, it has to start with us.
King Holiday 2012: William Winter on Racial Reconciliation - Governor Winter realized before most that the future of Mississippi was dependent on quality public education for all and racial reconciliation.
King Memorial is Good for America - To borrow a phrase from another American icon whose likeness is etched in stone nearby, “It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.”
King Holiday 2011: Dixieland -- Old Times There Should Not Be Forgotten - Those who don’t accurately remember the civil rights movement do not have faulty memories. They were simply oblivious to the inequities around them, as we still are today in the midst of our busy lives.
King Holiday 2009: Obama Presidency Will Improve Race Relations - The refrain I have heard repeated most often by Democrats and Republicans, black and white, is, “I never thought I’d live to see this day.” There is indeed something special about a country whose black population is only 12 percent – a country that for generations denied blacks the right to participate in politics – electing a black man as president. Only in America.
King Holiday 2008: King Holiday has Local History - For the past ten years, MSU has taken the lead role in organizing the King Holiday breakfast, which attracts over 500 participants. The celebration at MSU has become one of the largest and best in the state of Mississippi. It is probably the most integrated and diverse gathering that takes place in Oktibbeha County.
King Holiday 2007: White Southerners Grapple With Racial Change - Whites were shocked when African-Americans rose up in defiance in the 1960s. Most were not aware that African-Americans were dissatisfied with their status and bent on change. Many whites thought themselves sincere when they said they cared deeply for blacks. But it was a care based upon inequality, rooted in oppression, layered with discrimination, and willfully blind to those very facts.
King Holiday 2006: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain - How do I know racism still exists and what gives me the right to make that claim? I am privileged in that, as a white person, I can glimpse behind the curtain. People will say things to me or send me emails that no black person would ever hear or read.
King Holiday 2004: Welcome Home Harry! - The centerpiece of this weekend’s celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday is recognition of the achievements of Harry Nash Sykes. Sykes, a Starkville native, has had a distinguished career in education and public service, and is considered a civil rights pioneer in Kentucky.
King Holiday 2003: A Colorblind Society? - Those who claim to be colorblind must be blind to the fact that racial problems still exist. My own personal experience and observation has led me to this conclusion. To claim that race is not an issue is the equivalent of the ostrich who sticks his head in the sand.
King Holiday 2002: An Expert Opinion on Race - Most of us are very comfortable with our opinions about race. We might not be comfortable sharing our views in public, but deep down we know we are right. Even new information, which goes through our pre-existing mental filter and gets discounted, cannot shake our opinion.
King Holiday 2000: Assessing Race Relations Today - How can we improve race relations? Whites will tell you that blacks need to change. Blacks will tell you that whites need to change. No one wants to examine himself and change, and therein lies the problem.
King Holiday 1999: Why We Celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - The history of America is the story of a progressive expansion of freedom to eventually include all our citizens. During our nation’s first century, Abraham Lincoln did more to expand freedom than anyone else. In our second century, no one advanced the cause of freedom and equality more than Martin Luther King, Jr.
King Holiday 1998: MLK Day Brings Unity in Community - Our community is realizing that Martin Luther King was not just a black hero. He was an American hero whose vision of blacks and whites working and living together peacefully continues to inspire our country and our community. That is why all of us come together in a spirit of unity on his birthday.
King Holiday 2015: Departed Leaders Leave Local MLK Day Legacy - Our community lost two stalwart leaders in 2014: Carole McReynolds Davis and Ava Moore. Both were instrumental in establishing an integrated celebration of the Martin Luther King holiday back in 1995.
King Holiday 2014: Reflecting on Race Relations - No one can truly understand our country, or our state, without understanding the role race has played in our development as a nation.
King Holiday 2013: With Liberty and Justice for All - If we want to bring about change, it has to start with us.
King Holiday 2012: William Winter on Racial Reconciliation - Governor Winter realized before most that the future of Mississippi was dependent on quality public education for all and racial reconciliation.
King Memorial is Good for America - To borrow a phrase from another American icon whose likeness is etched in stone nearby, “It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.”
King Holiday 2011: Dixieland -- Old Times There Should Not Be Forgotten - Those who don’t accurately remember the civil rights movement do not have faulty memories. They were simply oblivious to the inequities around them, as we still are today in the midst of our busy lives.
King Holiday 2009: Obama Presidency Will Improve Race Relations - The refrain I have heard repeated most often by Democrats and Republicans, black and white, is, “I never thought I’d live to see this day.” There is indeed something special about a country whose black population is only 12 percent – a country that for generations denied blacks the right to participate in politics – electing a black man as president. Only in America.
King Holiday 2008: King Holiday has Local History - For the past ten years, MSU has taken the lead role in organizing the King Holiday breakfast, which attracts over 500 participants. The celebration at MSU has become one of the largest and best in the state of Mississippi. It is probably the most integrated and diverse gathering that takes place in Oktibbeha County.
King Holiday 2007: White Southerners Grapple With Racial Change - Whites were shocked when African-Americans rose up in defiance in the 1960s. Most were not aware that African-Americans were dissatisfied with their status and bent on change. Many whites thought themselves sincere when they said they cared deeply for blacks. But it was a care based upon inequality, rooted in oppression, layered with discrimination, and willfully blind to those very facts.
King Holiday 2006: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain - How do I know racism still exists and what gives me the right to make that claim? I am privileged in that, as a white person, I can glimpse behind the curtain. People will say things to me or send me emails that no black person would ever hear or read.
King Holiday 2004: Welcome Home Harry! - The centerpiece of this weekend’s celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday is recognition of the achievements of Harry Nash Sykes. Sykes, a Starkville native, has had a distinguished career in education and public service, and is considered a civil rights pioneer in Kentucky.
King Holiday 2003: A Colorblind Society? - Those who claim to be colorblind must be blind to the fact that racial problems still exist. My own personal experience and observation has led me to this conclusion. To claim that race is not an issue is the equivalent of the ostrich who sticks his head in the sand.
King Holiday 2002: An Expert Opinion on Race - Most of us are very comfortable with our opinions about race. We might not be comfortable sharing our views in public, but deep down we know we are right. Even new information, which goes through our pre-existing mental filter and gets discounted, cannot shake our opinion.
King Holiday 2000: Assessing Race Relations Today - How can we improve race relations? Whites will tell you that blacks need to change. Blacks will tell you that whites need to change. No one wants to examine himself and change, and therein lies the problem.
King Holiday 1999: Why We Celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - The history of America is the story of a progressive expansion of freedom to eventually include all our citizens. During our nation’s first century, Abraham Lincoln did more to expand freedom than anyone else. In our second century, no one advanced the cause of freedom and equality more than Martin Luther King, Jr.
King Holiday 1998: MLK Day Brings Unity in Community - Our community is realizing that Martin Luther King was not just a black hero. He was an American hero whose vision of blacks and whites working and living together peacefully continues to inspire our country and our community. That is why all of us come together in a spirit of unity on his birthday.