1-16-23, Day 15 In PTL Perrin’s Life
Welcome to day fifteen of A Day In My Life! Happy Martin Luther King, Junior Day!
We lived in Europe during the Civil Rights Movement. Dad had retired from the Army and worked with the Department of Defense as a civilian. Because of his job, we were entitled to all the amenities of the U.S. base in Italy, including schooling. As such, we were untouched by the struggle going on in our country. Our schools were fully integrated, and as kids, we saw no difference between ourselves and children of color. We were all of the Army culture, and our differences were merely genetic in nature. Our parents marked social divisions by rank. We didn’t.
Of course, we knew about the Movement and admired Dr. King and everyone fighting for a cause we believed to be true and just. Rosa Parks deserved to ride wherever she wanted to, and her now famous refusal to move from her seat on that bus started the Montgomery Bus Boycott that sparked the just battle for equality. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., was elected as president of the Montgomery Improvement Association formed to support the boycott on the day it started. The boycott lasted 381 days and resulted in full integration of the transportation system. But not without cost.
Dr. King believed the battle against prejudice and division would be won with non-violence. During public marches and protests, the violence, and there was plenty of it, was directed against the protestors. Richard Cohen, an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said this, “The violence was being perpetrated by the oppressors, not the oppressed, and that was an incredibly powerful message and an incredibly important tool during the movement.”
In August 1963, thousands of African Americans and whites gathered for the peaceful March on Washington. No arrests were made. This is where Dr. King, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.
Our country has good reason to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of remembrance. Here are a few of his iconic statements made during some of his speeches.
“Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
“Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.”
Thank you, Dr. King, for inspiring a nation to change for the sake of love.
All of us would do well to remember that we are all equal in the eyes of God who created us in HIS image, and who obviously loves our many colors.
Thank you for reading my blog today, and please visit my friends and fellow RRBC Bloggers at https://ravereviewsbookclub.wordpress.com/rrbc-member-chat/
Blessings!
Patty Perrin (writing as P.T.L. Perrin)
PTL Perrin Writes... 
Hi, Patty,
Martin Luther King did a lot to awaken the people in the USA. Because of him, the US government began to see how unjustly they were treating the Black American soldiers that were stationed all over the world. There was prejudice and unjust treatment even here in Germany. In 1977, black female soldiers were first allowed to wear our hair in braids, and that happened because one black female soldier stood up and said No. Before we had to get a chemical treatment to perm our hair or get kicked out.
A Very nice article.
Shalom aleichem
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I can’t imagine how difficult it was even in the military, Pat. In 1948, President Truman issued Executive Order 9981 which integrated the US Armed Forces. I found this in an article: “In addition to integration of the armed forces, the order also established an advisory committee to examine the rules, practices, and procedures of the armed services and recommend ways to make desegregation a reality. Despite the issuing of the order, there was considerable resistance from the military. The full effects would not be felt until the end of the Korean War. The Army’s last segregated units were finally disbanded in 1954.”
This happened long before the Civil Rights Movement, and still there was resistance and, I imagine, continued prejudice. As kids in the DoD schools, we didn’t experience the prejudice, at least not to my knowledge. All my life, actions determined how I saw people, not the color of their skin. I married a Cuban who was much tanner than I, and I envied his perpetual tan. Bill and I are closer in skin tone to each other. He was born in Canada. If I had been in the States during those turbulent times, I would have whole-heartedly supported the Civil Rights Movement. It pains me to see the divisions we still have in this country, and I want no part of that.
Blessings!
Patty
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Thank you for sharing your memories of Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Hi, Susanne. We were removed from the action by virtue of living in another country and being affiliated with the US Army. By that point, the Army was integrated. We read about it in the Stars and Stripes, our newspaper, and saw it on the newsreels before each movie at the theater. We didn’t have a television, as all the broadcasting was in German or Italian. Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement changed the world for the better.
Blessings,
Patty
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Nice topic and article today, Patty.
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Thanks, John!
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Patty, what a wonderful post. I enjoyed reading those quote of Dr. King’s. He was so eloquent! His “I Have A Dream” speech always gives me chills. It’s sad to see some of the hate still present in our country.
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I’ll never understand the hate, Maura Beth. Dr. King had it right about love. Nothing else conquers hate. His hope was for all people to experience our God-given equality. I hope the same. We don’t have to know every nuance of somebody’s struggle to love them. It’s enough to know that God knows and fully understands.
Blessings!
Patty
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If only more people could embrace this truth – that we are all loved, regardless of the color of our skin. Great post, Patty!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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Hi, Yvette! I just noticed I hadn’t replied to your comment, at least within the post. In my mind, I read it and said, “Exactly!” You are so right. If everyone embraced this truth, how beautiful the world would be!
Blessings,
Patty
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Amazing read!
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Thanks! And thank you for stopping by today!
Blessings!
Patty
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