Why We Can’t Wait

There are few people whose life is something I look at and remain in awe.  For me, Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of those people.  I have his picture up in my office as a reminder of how to approach life.  He is the consummate role model.  So reading Why We Can’tWait was a reminder as to why I respect his choices and his thoughts on life so much.  The book had many of the stories of his life I had read previously, but each time I find something new and applicable to my own.  The book captures the aspects of segregation and the challenges the African-American (termed Negro by MLK) community faced in the heart of the south, specifically in Alabama.  He covers the years from 1963 and Rosa Park’s heroic statement not to go to the back of the bus through the peaceful restaurant counters, segregation of schooling, separate water fountains, and the manner in which Negros were hurt or killed for attempting to stand up for themselves.  MLK, a brilliant orator and writer, has a distinct ability to capture the emotions, the sorrows, and the challenges for his people, yet he is able to do so through peaceful protests.  The book details the involvement of the federal government and the two Presidents (Kennedy and Johnson) who eventually acted through legislation to respond to the local authorities who thought they were beyond reproach.  One of his letters from a Birmingham jail captures the moment perfectly…"Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say 'Wait,' but when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your brothers and sisters at whim…"  It is so hard for me to fathom that this was just 40 years ago.  What were our leaders thinking???  Thank you MLK for sharing the struggle, providing leadership, and persevering.  Without you I am unsure we would be where we are today, maybe not at the pinnacle, but certainly further than where we were.  The eight brief chapters give a synopsis to the movement with a thought provoking conclusion on “the days to come” – which leaves the reader contemplating, have we done enough?  Pick this up, we all deserve to know the story and think about our next steps.