They Paid Their Price For Me

To me, Martin Luther King Jr. Day makes me realize how lucky and thankful I am that King and many others, such as Rosa Louise Parks and Roy Wilkins, worked so hard for equal rights for everyone. Because of such people, there really are no limitations put on me because of my race or gender. I am a young black female. But about 30 years ago, before the civil rights era, things were different. I would not have been allowed to go to the same school as my white friends, or to be a cheerleader at a predominantly white school. I might not have been allowed to sit at the same table in a public restaurant with my family and friends. But even though we have come this far, we still have a long way to go.

Martin Luther King Jr. wanted all discrimination - against race, sex, religion, age and disabilities - to stop.

We discriminate against others who are different from ourselves because of prejudices, which come from ignorance or a lack of understanding those differences. As King believed and taught, discrimination and prejudice cannot be changed through violence and anger. Education is the only weapon.

What can we do? We can start learning more about someone else’s religion, ethnic background or disability. It does not mean we have to become or act like them. It means we come to accept the differences, and respect them.

Start small. Get to know someone who is different from you, someone with a disability or a different age, someone of a different race or religion. See what you can learn from them.

By learning about each other, we will be helping. Helping to break down the barriers of prejudice and discrimination. Helping to build a new and better world for our future - a future where dreams can come true.