Wednesday, August 17, 2011

To The Left: Memorial Me This

To The Left: Memorial Me This

The National Mall is filled with memorials. There are iconic memorials to presidents, such as the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. There are memorials dedicated to wars and the people who served in them, including the The District of Columbia War Memorial (WWI), Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Women in Vietnam Memorial and the newest, the World War II Memorial.

And when you think about it, you can make the case that the Washington and Lincoln Memorials are also war memorials as they were wartime presidents. Okay, Washington wasn’t officially a “wartime” president; however, it was his extraordinary leadership during the Revolutionary War that won his election to the presidency. The point is, in a lot of ways, the National Mall can be construed as a memorial to America’s warring ways.

How is it then that a memorial to one of the country’s greatest advocates and speakers for peace and justice is perfectly set amongst those of war?

The answer is quite simple, while Dr. King may not have held a rifle or stormed a beach, his battles against systemic racism were no less significant and his victories over injustice were no less sweet.

What battles have you won without firing a single shot?

Photo: Marvin Joseph/Getty Images first appeared http://abcnews.go.com/US/mlk-memorial-million-shy-reaching-goal/story?id=14309127

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