I thought about this time of year being Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's birthday and Martin Luther King Day.  They are two different days--if you didn't know, Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday is January 15, 1929, and Martin Luther King Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January every year.  Why is that?  It's because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which was established in 1968 so that important historical events and celebrations of famous birthdays would fall on a Monday causing there to be an extended weekend relative to people working.  The celebratory days that fall into this category are considered national holidays...Martin Luther King Day is one of those holidays.

I also wondered if Dr. King would be accepted in today's society as having a positive influence on society as a whole.  It's interesting that the one speech of his everyone knows is "I Have A Dream"... a speech highlighting the "dream" of peace among all races with everyone getting along.  Well, that mountaintop is seemingly as far away now as it was then...maybe even further away. It's no longer a seemingly possible "dream" at all.

Aside from the one speech everyone knows, there were 2499 others.  So was or is King great because of one speech, a speech that speaks to all races?  Is this speech the "chosen" speech because its message is "safe", inclusive and a positive message of unity among all races?  Why aren't the remaining 2499 speeches of equal significance?  All other speeches spoke directly to Black people and encouraged Black people to be proud of who they are and promoted equality...not a very popular notion at the time.

Dr. King's speeches, aside from "I Have A Dream"  were direct, with no holds barred regarding racial inequality.  There is no current spokesperson similar to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., possibly because those kinds of speeches would be viewed as instigating or inciting conflict. The Black Lives Matter movement is certainly not as well-received as was Dr. King's "I Have A Dream Speech".  The Black Lives Matter content is nearly identical to the 2499 Dr. King speeches which are virtually unheard of.  Unfortunately, this country's attitude now mimics the attitude in the "I Have A Dream" speech. It seems now that if a message exclusive to Black people seems to Pro Black, it's deemed a disturbance these days.

The Black culture, especially young people, could benefit greatly from some of the wisdom, insight, and encouragement Dr. King was so gIfted at expressing, but would his words be considered "peaceful"," inclusive", and "safe" these days?

Here are just a few of King's 2500 speeches as we Honor Dr. Martin Luuter King Jr. for who he was and the impact he had on society in general, but especially Black people.  These are speeches our kids are not exposed to and NEVER hear or hear about in our schools in favor of the "I Have A Dream Speech".