by Ann DeWitt
On today, Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, I decided that I would meditate and reflect upon the positive because my life overall is much better than that of my great-grandmother’s who was a servant in the 1930’s. For the entire day, my goal was to thank God for the diverse team of all nationalities who are part of The Street Life Series team, from Americans to the Xlibris Corporation publishing and marketing team in the Philippines.
Then I turned on the radio in the early evening. This was a big mistake on my part because one of my favorite radio personalities of all the hits in Atlanta, Georgia stated that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was infamous. I couldn’t believe what I had heard. So, I pulled out the Merriam-Webster dictionary to see if I didn’t understand the definition in context. Here it is:
“Infamous” is having a reputation of the worst kind : notoriously evil <an infamous traitor> (Merriam-Webster)
Next, I thought this might be a new slang term. So I turned to urbandictionary.com which states:
“Infamous” is being well-known for having a negative impact on society, a community, and/or the world. Someone who is infamous is well known but not respected/liked by anyone. (urbandictionary.com)
Because both the traditional and urban dictionaries have the same meaning of “infamous,” was this simply a case of bad reporting? Who in their right mind in the 21st Century would state that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was infamous? I believe that Dr. King paid the ultimate sacrifice. As it states in John 15: 13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Regardless of background, if anyone positively touches just one person’s life then that sparks goodness throughout the world. So I end my day knowing for sure that I have the utmost respect for Dr. King. Because Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. exercised his constitutional rights, the society in which I live, the community in which I serve, and the world that I embrace are all better. You do not have to agree with me. That is your constitutional right.
Highlighting the good in humanity, Ann
