Martin Luther King Day: Remembering That One World Is Enough to Share

New generation delivering message on importance of civil rights

I’ve passed on to my children my passion for American ideals such as justice. This picture was taken on a recent trip to Washington, D.C. at the Martin Luther King memorial. It’s been my Facebook cover picture for the past few months, inspiring me to remain tranquil in the midst of a battle.

A couple months ago my son participated in a drama presentation at the community college. The play depicted the history of hard-won rights to vote from women’s suffrage through Martin Luther King called (“Vote?” by Eric Coble). Tiger, a football playing fifteen year old, enjoyed playing “Patrick,” the aide to Dr. King. Mom was proud and moved to tears. I found a short YouTube video with some excerpts of “Vote?” by a different theatre group.

Words from the Reverend Dr. King

Many of his words conveyed that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not afraid of the consequences of his actions, but of the consequences of not acting in the presence of injustice. I hope you will take a moment to contemplate the words of Dr. King from The Strength to Love: “This faith transforms the whirlwind of despair into a warm and reviving breeze of hope. The words of a motto which a generation ago were commonly found on the wall in the homes of devout persons need to be etched on our hearts:

‘Fear knocked at the door.
Faith answered.
There was no one there.’”

Modern prophet of reconciliation

Last week I rode to Tampa with my kids to see one of my most favorite artists, TobyMac. Known by some as a Christian hip-hop artist because his of musical roots like Curtis Blow and Sugarhill Gang, Toby has dedicated most of his career to themes of racial reconciliation, even creating a non-profit called E.R.A.C.E., discussed in the middle of this interview. Toby has also written several books, including one about Christian harmony.

Lyrics from One World by TobyMac

Come as you are
Come just like you be
It’s the bumps and curves of our history
But no blocks in the road that we can’t traverse
And no wounds from the past that can’t be nursed

All hate gonna dissipate from our fate
No check, together we got a checkmate
All hate gonna dissipate and fade away
To make room for a brand new day

We got one world ’til its time to fly
We got so it’s one love ’til we say goodbye
We got one world its enough to share
‘Til the King calls us home and we’re caught up in the air

We got one world
I’ll look out for you, you look out for me
One world
Together we can be perfect harmony
One world
I’ll look out for you, you look out for me
One world
And I’m a dedicate this song to everyone of God’s children

One world oughta be more than enough
And if its not, is God looking in pure disgust?
Wondering what the dilly with the silly I see?
When I made each of these in the image of me
Everyday is a chance for a new stance
Like every song is the beginning of a new dance
And every one of us was made to reflect the light…

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