Lazarus Austin is a junior majoring in history. He can be contacted at [email protected]. For many people, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is just another day off. For others, it has a higher meaning. King was instrumental in establishing civil rights in this country for African-Americans. He was a benevolent man who accomplished a lot.
He deserves due credit, despite some flaws.
However, he did not singlehandedly establish African-Americans’ civil rights, let alone everyone’s civil rights.
Aside from MLK Day, there are two federal holidays honoring individuals, not including Christmas. They are George Washington’s Birthday and Columbus Day.
Washington’s Birthday is the official name, but most refer to it as President’s Day, in honor of all our nation’s presidents. Columbus Day celebrates the anniversary of the founding of America, not Columbus himself.
MLK Day was enacted to celebrate King’s birthday, not civil rights or activists. By doing so, they gave King equal or higher importance than all of our nation’s presidents, the founding of America, all our nation’s veterans (who definitely preserve and secure our civil rights), those lost during wars (Memorial Day) and the founding of our nation (Independence Day).
MLK Day should not be exclusive to King or even just civil rights for African-Americans.
A Civil Rights Day would celebrate everyone’s civil rights, those of all races, of both genders and of all incomes.
We could use it to celebrate those other civil liberties we sometimes take for granted, like the right to a trial by jury and the right to privacy.
America is a nation of ideals. It is a republic designed with a system of checks and balances that prevent one person or party from gaining too much power. Celebrating one man’s birthday is a mild form of idolatry and deification.
A holiday devoted solely to King also trivializes the work of other notable civil rights leaders, including Booker T. Washington, Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony and many, many others.
Instead of calling it Martin Luther King Jr. Day, why not call it Civil Rights Day or Anti-Discrimination Day?
Calling it Civil Rights Day would be consistent with other holidays and be more inclusive.
MLK Day could also be an example of a much larger issue: reverse discrimination.
Reverse discrimination is what happens when affirmative action backfires and a population discriminates against the original oppressor.
A side effect of reverse discrimination is favoritism.
Certain races receive higher status than other races (e.g., African-Americans over Hispanics).
MLK Day has, as a result, gained priority over many other important holidays.
People should realize that discrimination is not limited to just one race, gender or sexual classification.
Consequently, a Civil Rights Day would be more appropriate and more along the lines of what King intended in his fight for equality.