Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. My parents were civil rights activists in the 1960s. They involved me in this work, and MLK, Jr., was one of our family’s guiding lights. I don’t have many heroes, but MLK, Jr., is one of them. MLK, Jr., put his life on the line to advance the cause of racial equality. Among other things, King played a key role in securing the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which abolished institutionalized racial discrimination nationwide. Tragically, on April 4, 1968, only days after my sixth birthday (I remember this day quite well), his life was taken by an assassin’s bullet.
Today will also see the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States in Washington DC, a tradition marking the peaceful transfer of power in the world’s oldest continuous constitutional republic. The US Constitution, which came into effect in 1789, established the framework for the federal government and has been in continuous operation since then. It is the oldest written national constitution still in use. Donald Trump will take the reins of the American Republic today for the second time, having governed the nation during the years 2017-2021.
My hope for this occasion is that the American People will today recommit themselves to the principles and values that guide such men. These principles and values are listed in the American Creed, the core values and principles foundational to the United States’ identity and national ethos. The Creed encapsulates the ideals that Americans hold dear—that we should hold dear. Its central themes—liberty, equality, a republic form of government, justice, opportunity, unity, and patriotism—constitute a model for all the peoples of the world.
freedom and reason 