A lesson for the Trail Blazers about a true Trail Blazer

What does MLK and his historic impact mean to me?

Well, he is responsible for making this world cause less emotional pain between different races. What he did was probably the most significant thing a man could do involving civil rights. The "I Have a Dream" speech was probably the best speech, not just in U.S. history, but in world history as well. He changed our lives by stepping up and showing that one of the key traits that you should have in life in perserverence. If you don't stand up for what is right and have other people take advantage of you (especially when it is not your fault but you're just born that way), it's not fair at all.

Because of Martin Luther King Jr., people from different social classes and races get to play the same sports together, they get to sit on the same bus, and most importantly, they can learn how to be friends and not enemies.

I don't know how MLK did it, but he did it. I salute him.

With that one speech, he may have altered the course of history more than anyone else in American history. He forced everyone to examine the situation at the time and mindsets were changed as a result. Imagine the impact that we see daily stemming from the efforts of one man.

Racism is unfortunately still alive and well in this country. The Jena 6 situation last year is a sharp reminder of that. The 6 individuals that tortured an African-American women in West Virginia and held her hostage is another horrible example. Me and my mother were victims of racial profiling a couple of years ago. We were making a right turn at a Sears store in a predominately white neighborhood and cops pulled us over. My mother was wearing a cap and had her hair in a bundle. The cops spoke in a rough tone most likely thinking that she was a man. When they realized her feminine tone, they didn't address her in that same rough manner. After giving them identification, they just said thank you and left. I was disgusted. And I think that those who go through such an event, especially those that went through the civil rights movement will have the strongest reaction when they see someone else racially oppressed.

And we all know that the discussion of racism isn't going to be the #1 discussion on the dinner table. But for those who've gone through it, especially those who unfortunately experienced it on a daily basis, there are rooted inner frustrations. There are some subtle frustrations that I have still. That's why this issue at times has to be discussed in an open forum such as this.

{21 hrs, 57 minutes later:} Well, so much for that.

Hey guys, I don't usually check out posts in the Locker Room, but you guys brought up a lot of great points. I liked how TNT's day long NBA coverage featured a lot of MLK related content. It's a shame that too many people just think of it as a day off and forget th emeaning of it.