The Legacy Of A King

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., brother to morality and father to reform, was a man of remarkable courage whose belief in nonviolence never stammered. Standing before the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th, 1963, King stated,

"So I say to you my friends, that even though we must face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed-we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." (Siebold 212)

These inspiring words are the basis for which all of society needs contemplate in order to achieve racial fellowship, civil rights, and civil liberties. Maybe then, people of different ethnicity, not only inhabiting the same area, but all around the world, can coincide with one another without dispute. National equality cannot rest solely on the advocacy of one man, it must involve citizen participation and governmental action. Such engagements are effecting present-day issues such as voter manipulation tactics, the policies of a new attorney general, and Native American Housing.

One issue Civil rights and voting rights advocates are currently addressing is the concern of voter suppression and intimidation. These manipulations, specifically aimed at minority and disabled voters, include requiring identification at polling stations; supplying wrong polling information to potential voters; and initiating background checks on newly-registered voters. Latino's nationwide are being told to provide proof that they are U.S. citizens, solely because they are Latino's. A person with a mental disability may not vote in Ohio, if a judge rules him/her incompetent. The voting rights advocates call upon the Republican National Committee to put an end to these tactics or to investigate them further so that a change may occur in the near future.

Another concern of Civil rights advocates was initiated when President Bush replaced attorney general John Ashcroft, who resigned Nov. 2004, with Roberto R. Gonzales. Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights stated, "In a country as diverse as ours, this appointment acknowledges the importance