MLK Day: Remember! Celebrate! Act!

14 January 2011 -- As we get ready to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
this Monday, let's not forget the theme of the holiday: "Remember! Celebrate!
Act! A Day On, Not a Day Off."

Dr. King was a man who lived his life doing all these things, even when it
often meant "paying the price" for doing the right thing.

Although he did not do so knowingly, he lived his life in complete concert
with our Air Force Core Values.Think about it: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do.

Whether he was standing up for Rosa Parks' right to sit down (1955), being
arrested during a lunch counter sit-in waiting to be served at a restaurant
(1960), or becoming the youngest (at age 35) person ever to be awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize (1964), he continued to demonstrate the traits we as Airmen
are committed to on a daily basis.

For those of us not old enough to remember (of which there are plenty), we
encourage you to take a look at one of the greatest speeches ever delivered in
the 20th Century.

We are referring, of course, to his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, given from
the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in August, 1963, during the March on
Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

While many of us can recall certain lines from memory, this one (among others)
has always hit home for us:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content
of their character," Dr. King said nearly a half century ago. Are we there now? We'd like to say yes, but you need to answer that question yourself.

And don't forget to remember, celebrate and act.