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Persky City

January 15, 2012

By Marshall Persky ---- The Record Eagle Tue Jan 31, 2012, 10:52 AM EST

Last fall my wife and I visited Washington, D.C. Over the years I have gone to Washington on business and always found at least some time to visit the Vietnam Memorial. I am a Vietnam vet, so visiting the memorial is very important to me, giving me the opportunity to reflect on my time there and thank the heroes whose names are on the wall.

Two new memorials have recently been added. The WWII memorial is humbling as one looks at a wall of stars and then realizes that each represents a hundred soldiers killed during the war.

One of the highlights of my visit was the newly opened Martin Luther King Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an individual of conscience and a message of freedom, equality, justice and love. It is the first memorial on the National Mall that is devoted not to a president or war hero, but to an activist for civil rights and peace.

One of the most significant parts of the memorial is the Inscription Wall. Fourteen quotes from Dr. King's speeches, sermons and writings are inscribed on the wall. These quotes exemplified the four primary messages of Dr. King: justice, democracy, hope and love.

Here are the ones that mean the most to me:

• "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." (Feb. 25, 1967, Los Angeles, Calif.)

• "Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in." (April 18, 1959, Washington, D.C.)

• "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." (April 16, 1963, Birmingham, Ala.)

• "I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies; education and culture for their minds; and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits." (Dec. 10, 1964, Oslo, Norway)

I am proud that the memory and spirit of Dr. King is being celebrated in Traverse City on Monday.

The celebration begins at 10 a.m. at the State Theatre with the showing of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

At 5:30 p.m. Traverse City Mayor Michael Estes will read a proclamation celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., followed by a performance from Jeff Haas' Building Bridges With Music.

Concluding the celebration will be a showing of "The Help" at 7 p.m.

The celebration is made possible by the Traverse City Human Rights Commission, Traverse City State Theatre and the Dennos Museum.

Everyone is encouraged to join us in recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s contribution to peaceful human relations and brotherhood in our country, especially at this point in our country's history.

About the author: Marshall Persky, of Traverse City, is a retired vice president of Ryerson Steel, the nation's largest metals distributor. He retired from the United States Army Reserve as a Lt. Colonel. He is on the Traverse City Human Rights Commission board and is president of the Third Level Crisis Center board, among other activities.

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