Barack Obama Takes to Instagram to Honor Martin Luther King Jr.
On Monday, former President Barack Obama took to Instagram to post a heartfelt and inspiring tribute to Martin Luther King Jr, reminding citizens what MLK Day is truly for.
Our 44th President has always stood firm in lending his voice to topics he is passionate about. Following the events on January 6 that shocked Americans everywhere, Obama begins his post with the comment, “If anyone had a right to question whether our democracy was worth redeeming, it was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Obama specifically commends King’s vision of love triumphing over hate, celebrating King’s resilience and hope despite violent resistance to King’s mission and Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. King and others’ dedicated fight for justice for Black Americans resulted in landmark civil rights legislation included the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. These federal legislations prohibited discrimination on the basis of color, race, religion, sex, or national origin, and prohibited racial discrimination in voting.
In this 1964 Leonard Freed photo in @smithsoniannpg, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. greets supporters in Baltimore.
— Smithsonian (@smithsonian) January 18, 2021
King traveled the U.S. before the 1964 election, urging African Americans to exercise voting rights guaranteed to them by the Civil Rights Act. https://t.co/zTbC4v6Yr7 pic.twitter.com/X4OC6X6bIU
The second half of his post is dedicated to the tradition that MLK Day has sprouted, one of service to his or her country. Congress passed legislation in the ’90s that officially declared MLK Day one of service in which citizens were encouraged to participate in volunteer opportunities to better their communities.
The former president completed his post with words of hope and encouragement that we can see a better day if we continue the fight. He concludes, “And only because, even in the face of intimidation, discrimination, and unimaginable suffering, we never stopped dreaming of a better day—and never stopped doing the long, hard, essential work of ushering it in.”
Let this stand as a reminder to lend a helping hand for your community not only on MLK Day but every day. Pledge your support and discover ways to help at https://bideninaugural.org/day-of-service/.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. – Martin Luther King Jr.
Writer
