MLK Day Reflection

This is a little bit off topic (which I tend to do from time to time) but something I thought people would find interesting. I think some people in my generation tend to downplay the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, mainly because that world is one that we have never been exposed to. We live in a world that still has prejudice, but the racism/sexism/age-ism that we experience is nothing compared to what Dr. King fought. I had one of those "wow" moments yesterday that put into perspective how much things have changed in the past 50 years.

I was on a business trip (my last I hope) and was making small talk with one of the guys we were meeting with to kill time before everyone else arrived. We got to talking about movies and the new Disney movie "Glory Road", which lead to a discussion about the progression of racial relations and eventually to a discussion about Dr. King.

It turns out that his 10 yr old son is learning about MLK in school. The other day he came home and asked his dad if segregated schools really existed. When his father said that unfortunately they did, his son asked him whether his (white) father attended the black school or the white school. Turns out that the young man doesn't see color.

Sometimes I think we don't realize how much things have changed and how far we've come.