“It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Every Martin Luther King Day, we’re reminded of the struggle King and other civil rights leaders went through in order to gain the basic human right of equality.
We’re treated to politicians and civic leaders preaching about the virtues of nonviolent protest, community organization and the power of collectivity.
We’re also bombarded with a virtue King held dear: tolerance.
When King was fighting for basic civil rights in the South for African Americans, tolerance was a virtue. Hatred and vitriol for African Americans ran so deep in pockets of the South that lynchings and acts of violence were not only heard of but commonplace.
I applaud Dr. King’s accomplishments and think celebrating his birthday is something we should do as a nation. We need to remember the less than savory parts of our history so that we may never repeat them.
However, I do believe it is about time to move past thinking of tolerance as an admirable and redeeming virtue.
Acceptance. Empathy. Compassion. These are virtues and traits to be respected and admired.
Tolerance is a gateway virtue. It should lead us to better understanding and increased cooperation.
Tolerance should, in a perfect world, lead to acceptance and love. Unfortunately, it hasn’t thus far.
Our society seems to be stuck in the tolerance mire.
We collectively recognize each other’s right to exist, agreeing that equality for all Americans is something we claim to hold dear.
We’re moving toward equality, but we’re still largely separate.
In elementary schools, one can see little black children and little white children playing together, enjoying the company of their fellow classmates without attention to color and creed.
By the time they reach middle school, though, these young students inevitably separate into their respective color communities, and the division will usually continue throughout the rest of their lives.
The color barrier is not the unassailable wall it once was, but there are many other facets of our society that broadcast the limits of tolerance.
Civil rights are no longer simply a matter of color; creed and beliefs now play their role, too.
If we are truly a nation of equals, we must work to remove barriers in our laws that create inequality and separation.
If all cannot be married and have their union recognized by the government, enjoying the benefits given to other Americans, then the government does not need to be involved in the marriage business.
If we cannot guarantee equality and equal protection under the law for all, then we should not and must not continue along this path.
Tolerance has gotten us this far.
We’ve made great strides since the days of Bull Connor and fire hoses.
But, we still have a ways to go.
We’ve not yet reached that great mountaintop Dr. King spoke of.
If we are the America we claim to be, the land of equality and opportunity for all, that shining city upon a hill for all the world to see, we must cast aside tolerance in favor of acceptance and compassion.
Then, and only then will we see that change that’s been “a long, long time coming.”
I used to say, like Sam Cooke, that “I know a change is gonna come.”
Now, I simply say I hope that change may come.
I hope we are who we claim to be.
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