Two recent events show a disconnect that many have in the culture we see dominated in our media and with many supporting human rights.

First is the forum hosted by Olympic College with Angela Davis in regards to civil rights and equity, according to the promoters of the event. Angela Davis received notoriety for her support of communism and the Black Panthers, which at that time promoted political violence. Her support for communism won her a Lenin Medal from the old Soviet Union, notoriously one of the biggest violators of human rights. She supported the Czech invasion by Russia, and depicts America as a racist and imperialistic country.

Contrast this to Martin Luther King Jr. — interestingly, Olympic College also hosted a forum celebrating his life. An American hero, facing the same evil of racism, but because of his leadership we have seen the laws and opportunities change for the better in America.

I would hope one day schools in their civics classes may see a mandatory assignment for required reading of the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Here, we see a fundamental difference in how these two handled injustice.

In the letter, Rev. King speaks to his accusers, who found him to be a concern because of of his non-violent civil disobedience. But he returned the focus on the accusers and the disobedience of states which went against laws dealing with segregation. He stated: “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?”

Rev. King then went on to explain how laws that supported basic rights were just laws and those that suppressed human dignity were not. He used religious freedom as an example.

“If I lived in a Communist country today where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I believe I would openly advocate disobeying these anti-religious laws.”

The difference is so obvious to me of the two. I think Rev. King summed it best in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”: “We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom.”

Mick Sheldon

Kingston