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Guest Blogger: Jamie Roane - Celebrating Heroes

Jan. 15 - Last year, Political Officer Jamie Roane gave a lecture to Embassy employees on African American history. I was so impressed by his talk that I asked Jamie to be my guest blogger on the occasion of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday.

Jim


Celebrating Heroes

Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963.

Last month, I had the opportunity to talk with Japanese undergraduates at Nihon University's College of Humanities and Sciences in Setagaya-ku about one of our greatest civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. During the discussion, I realized the infinite meaning and timelessness of Dr. King's message. Although the United States officially celebrates Dr. King and his achievements on Monday, Jan. 18, we are free to interpret his words in any manner we choose. We are free to recognize his significance any time we want. We are free to share his vision with whomever we befriend. His life means so much, to so many people, in so many ways. The students of Nihon University helped me understand the extent to which Dr. King is appreciated around the world.

To me, born several years after the formal period of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King's quest was, above all else, about inclusion - that we all took part in history's long march for fairness and equality and that we are all accountable for continuing the effort. Everyone played the role of hero. We read about Phillis Wheatley, Harriet Tubman, Ida B.Wells, and Frederick Douglas. We learn about Thurgood Marshall, who helped dismantle the legal basis for racial segregation, and Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama led to the fall of Jim Crow. We hear about Jackie Robinson, who led the integration of U.S. professional athletics, and the band of African American, White, Asian, and Hispanic Freedom Riders who challenged local segregation laws and customs.

Here I am with Nihon University students.

However, MLK Day reminds me of the unsung heroes - the parents, grandparents, and ancestors who helped build this country. My own parents and grandparents grew up in the segregated neighborhoods of Richmond, Virginia, where drinking fountains, swimming pools, restrooms, lunchrooms, hospital waiting areas, movie theaters, and restaurant counters were separated according to race. My mother recalls occupying separate eating areas at Woolworth's Department Store and separate film rooms at Loew's Movie Theater. An educator, my grandmother remembers transferring to the last elementary school in Norfolk, Virginia to integrate its faculty and being prohibited from enrolling at local colleges and universities. Everyone had a story. Everyone had an experience. They showed that people of all types and from all backgrounds had to work together to right social injustice, inequity, and inequality.

To them and the generations before me, I am immeasurably indebted. Because of their efforts, my generation enjoys more educational opportunities, greater social mobility, deeper peace of mind, and the unconditional right to vote. On this day, Jan. 15, I extend thanks and appreciation as well as my pledge to continue their legacy.

- Jamie Roane

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