“The ultimate measure of a man [woman] is not where he [she] stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he [she] stands in times of challenge and controversy.”
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Prints are available of this artwork by Derek Russell.
Go to: http://www.derekrussellartist.com |
On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today marks the 90th anniversary of the birthdate of Martin Luther King, Jr. Had he been afforded the opportunity to live out his normal life expectancy, he may have been around to celebrate his 90th birthday. Who knows, his sister, Christine King Farris, a powerful force in her own right, is still alive at 91.
Alas, we will never know an older Martin King, but what we do know is his dream, his words, his legacy are timeless. Just as his dream inspired a generation and a nation more than 50 years ago, it inspires and calls us forth today. The dream still whispers to our conscience, our spirit, our heart, saying "Where do you stand and what are you doing?"
Today, King's articulated dream has more meaning now than ever. As 800,000 federal government employees went without a paycheck last Friday; 30,000 Los Angeles, CA County educators serving the second largest school district in the U.S. enter into their second day of a labor strike; the unemployment rate is at an all time low but yet the rate for Africans Americans is still almost twice that of White Americans; women are still likely to be paid less than their male counterparts even when all other things are equal; and minorities including Native Americans, Latinx and Asians have to continually fight not to be type cast into societal roles and stereotypes that do not reflect their skills and individual potential, the dream, Martin's dream, still speaks to us. Again, it's saying, 'Where are you standing and what are you doing?' Do you hear it? In the #BlackLivesMatter movement, in the fight for immigration rights, in the women's movement. Do you hear Martin's voice and dream?
Those words "I have a dream today..." spoken from the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 changed our lives and inspired several generations of leaders and ordinary Americans in addition to those standing at the March On Washington with him. That was yesterday, but today as we stand yet fighting for equality and civil, human and economic rights, his voice is still heard. What is his dream challenging the leader in you to do? Because there is a leader in you.
For more information on #LeadershipTuesdays, follow us at @LeadershipTues on Twitter. There you will find daily posts that provides resources to help you develop and strengthen your leadership skills.
--Nona Ogunsula, Founder, womenatliberty.com and #LeadershipTuesdays
Image credit: Derek Russell
