by Joseph O. Prewitt Diaz, PhD
On the eve of the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day, I had occasion to attend an event introducing a new book written by Rev. Dr. William Fred Santiago entitled "Venceremos" (We Shall Overcome). The book reflects on the life of Dr. King in Spanish. This is a unique contribution in our cultural and linguistic milieu. The speakers reflected on several events of Dr. King’s life and supported their commentary with parts of his speeches, from his early days in Crozier Seminary in Cheste, Pa, to the “I have a dream” speech in Washington, to his last speech entitled “I have seen the promised land”.
As Puerto Ricans, and citizens of the world, we live through difficult times: the war in Afghanistan, destabilization of the North and South Korea, the shooting in Tucson that filled our TV screens last Saturday and our own social and psychological problems in Puerto Rico that have lead to an environment of lawlessness and intolerance, where we speak of peace but practice violence.
From Dr. King, the peace maker, we learnt:
The grace of reflecting in the word and peaceful actions of Jesus and humbly accepts them with great faith.
The grace to serve the oppressed people and communities, and through peaceful actions achieve their well-being.
The grace of non-violent confrontation, and creative problem solving to bring injustices to the fore.
The grace of mirroring skills that allow us to assist others to recognize their anxieties, and promote calmness.
The grace of being instruments in providing interpersonal, emotional, and support and access to knowledge and resources.
The grace of overcoming troubled times so that we can teach others how to help communities learn and become more resilient by acting in peaceful and non-violent ways.
The words of Dr. King Jr. last speech resound in the air this day:
“Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.”
Very good post with a background of your inner self in Puerto Rico. Gudia well done. Meanwhile I wrote regarding Odisha....not posted yet....I will let u know.
ReplyDeleteThank you, sir. This post was written by my husband, Joe. Looking forward to your post on Odisha.
ReplyDeleteYou really deserve kudo for this post. An unrivalled post.
ReplyDeleteFor me it is made belief that all posts are written by you. My sincere apology to Joe. My comment stands directed to him. Thanks Joe for such a good post.
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