The legacy of Martin Luther King
On Jan. 15, we celebrated the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who successfully fought for equal voting rights for all Americans, equal public accommodations and equal access to housing and equality in employment, regardless of the color of their skin. However, many Americans do not know that was just the start of a long series of laws making it so that all kinds of our citizens will not be discriminated against as they had been in the past in our great country.
King's protests, marches, demonstrations and sit-ins showed all of us that equality could be achieved in the areas of nondiscrimination for handicapped individuals, who had often been excluded from employment opportunities. Often, in the past women had been rejected for better-paying jobs and advancement simply on the basis of their gender and not qualification.
This was stopped after MLK began his quest for racial equality in employment by others.
Another barrier that is coming down is discrimination against gay people or bias on the basis of sexual preference. More and more states are now enacting laws prohibiting job and housing discrimination based on sexual preference.
Although King did not live long enough to begin civil rights actions against discrimination based on gender, handicap, physical or mental, or sexual preference, his civil rights leadership showed the path toward greater and greater equality for all of us in America.
Stewart E. Brekke
Downers Grove