I’m not a museum guy, but I felt honored to visit the National Civil Rights Museum on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Being in that place on that day was truly a humbling experience.
Dr. King came to Memphis in peace to try to help settle a long, contentious sanitation workers’ strike. Yesterday, people walked around with the same placards they carried in 1968, a proclamation astonishing for its very necessity: I AM A MAN!
I wondered if people in wheelchairs ever felt the need for such signs. Or people with depression. Or veterans with PTS. Or women trapped in a brothel.
Who do you know who might be screaming silently inside…I AM A WOMAN! I AM A MAN!
Maybe they’re the folks Jesus was talking about when He said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
Maybe we can each find one or two of those people and carry that sign for them. Or, better yet, tear up the sign and let them know it’s not needed any longer.
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Busy day today. I’m on the Memphis FOX affiliate this morning, then I speak to a group of disabled adults at 10:30. Lunch with employees at National Bankers Trust, then I speak to mentors at First Tee of Memphis at 4:00. Finally, we end the day speaking at Heartsong church—if you’ve read the book, you know the special role this church and Cousin Dudley played in the Mississippi River journey. And if you haven’t read the book, why are you missing all these cool stories? Here’s the link to the store.
Over at BOUNCING BACK I posted an essay today called Dreams Aren’t Free. I’d love to hear your reactions. It’s really short, so jump over there, take a look, and let me know what you think.
Please leave a comment here.
First Tee. Now that sounds like a group I should be meeting with. Have a great safe trip. Tell Becky hi.