Blog Archive » 2008 » January

Almost 40 years have passed since that terrible April day in 1968 in Memphis when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. That's one more year than the entire span of years he had on this earth. He'd be 79 today, had he lived, but he was only 39 when he died. Imagine all that this extraordinary man accomplished in such a short time. Our contemporary culture sometimes makes fun of "thirtysomethings" — Dr. King was a legend by the time he was a "thirtysomething" and he left a legacy that endures for all ages. (Photo from The King Center website.)

As I watched today's news from the campaign trail and here in Washington, I found myself wondering, "What Would Martin Think?" about so many issues swirling through our public consciousness today.

In Atlanta today, Presidential Candidate Barack Obama gave a moving address at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Dr. King's own church. I wonder what Dr. King would think of this bright young man, a leader from a new generation, someone who, in so many ways, is the heir of Dr. King's dream for equality, for justice, and for a nation in which leadership rests not with the color of one's skin but the content of one's character, to paraphrase a quotation from Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech. Full Article

Was it right for officials of the Montgomery Invitational track meet to disqualify runner Juashaunna Kelly because she wore a special track suit to comply with her Muslim religion? Ms. Kelly, a senior at Theodore Roosevelt High School in D.C., has won many races while wearing a unitard that covers her skin completely, in compliance with her religious beliefs. You can see Ms. Kelly in this attire here. The photo with this blog is not Ms. Kelly but an Olympic runner from Bahrain in similar attire designed for a Muslim female runner, read about her on the website linked here. Full Article

Yesterday was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, and the nation will officially observe the occasion on Monday, January 21. In the last two weeks, courtesy of the presidential campaign (more on this below), there's been a new public discussion about Dr. King's legacy. Questions about the role of race in American politics, and the unfinished agenda for racial justice and equality have emerged with new sharpness.

What does Dr. King's legacy mean for you? Let's have a campus-wide discussion as part of our commemoration of his life and work. Please send me your comments for posting on this blog (send to president@trinitydc.edu, or click on the envelope icon below). We'll also post a comments board in the Well of Main Hall. Full Article

Trinity Students Allyson Portee (president of the College Republicans) and Lauren Romero spent the last two weeks at the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary. They stumped for Mitt Romney. Ally sent this message about their experience:

"I had a great time in Iowa and New Hampshire rooting for my candidate Mitt Romney. It was hard adjusting to the negative to seven degree temperatures in Iowa but I quickly got use to it. Both the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire primary were important to me. To see American democracy hard at work really really touched me. Walking down the streets of Manchester, NH were both Democrats and Republicans rooting hard for their prospective candidate. Everywhere I looked I saw Clinton, McCain, Romney, Obama, Kucinich, Gravel, and Huckabee signs. Talking and meeting people from around the nation and around the world was very fun! I was able to see, hear, and debate what issues were important to them. Full Article

Voters are the real winners in New Hampshire this morning, and the biggest losers are the pollsters and pundits who are just stunned that the voters rejected the "conventional wisdom" of the collective media that the candidacies of John McCain and Hillary Clinton were virtually dead. Hooray for the citizens who beat the press, the people in the diners and town hall meetings, the card-carrying members of the unions and the ruggedly individualistic New Englanders, the wildly enthusiastic college students and the senior citizens who bundled up to get out the vote. Whomever is your candidate of choice, whether you are cheering or moaning this morning, you have to be glad that New Hampshire set a record for voter turnout — more than 500,000 went to the polls in that small northern state — and that the voters rejected the easy media prognostications. Full Article