ML King Day
Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an American holiday in honor of the civil rights pioneer.
Of course, being in Iowa, you’d never know it was a holiday. Around here it’s treated like Columbus Day or maybe Veteran’s Day – a handful of people get the day off (banks, post office), but that’s about it.
For most people, it’s business as usual today. Schools are open, my employer is fully staffed, and just about everyone is going on with their daily lives. So unless you work for the Federal government or a financial institution, odds are pretty high you’re sitting at your desk reading this today. (But hey – at least you’re goofing off instead of actually working, so maybe that counts as a “holiday” in some fashion.)
I’ve always respected Dr. King – anyone who stands up for what he believe in and makes his points known in a peaceful yet resilient manner is okay in my books. I’m too young to remember what it was like to have segregation, and growing up in such a racially diverse neighborhood in Seattle as I did (where I was a minority), I have a hard time understanding how things ever got so bad that there was segregation in the first place. I mean, c’mon – we’re all humans, we’re all people. So I for one am glad that segregation is (mostly) a thing of the past, and I still hope that some day there will be enough peace, tolerance, and acceptance to go around to everyone, regardless of who they are. (Yes, I’m speaking to you, Mr. Bush.)
But as far as Dr. King’s holiday goes, I have a theory of why more Iowans (plus Nebraskans and South Dakotans, too) don’t celebrate it. And while it’s possible I could be wrong, I really think that I’m not too far off the right path.
Why won’t Iowans celebrate Dr. King’s birthday with a day off? Simple. The holiday is in mid-January.
Think about it: It’s yet another holiday so close after dealing with several holidays right in a row (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and the Bowl Championship Series). You just had a couple of days off of work, and odds are you took a couple of extra days here and there in between, so things are just starting to return to normal around the office. And now here’s another holiday so soon? It’s like being offered pumpkin pie five minutes after you've stuffed yourself with turkey dinner. It sounds great, but can’t we wait a little bit?
Part two of the problem is the fact that January 15 is usually bitter cold around here. There aren’t too many barbeques, picnics, or 3-day weekend camping trips going on when it’s 20 degrees outside. So what’s there to do with your long weekend? I suppose you can sit around and watch the NFL playoffs, or you can go to a movie or the mall on Monday (both open regular hours), but you’re not going to be laying outside in the sun getting a tan or planting your garden or inviting the guys over for a few burgers on the grill. It’s just too damn cold.
Deep down, I believe that the indifference to Dr. King’s holiday not racially motivated; it’s just a matter of unfortunate timing. If Dr. King’s holiday was the 2nd Monday in August, you can guarantee that everyone would beg for the day off.
But in the end, I hope everyone can take a moment today and remember what Martin Luther King tried to teach us as a nation – that we all deserve to be free, no matter what we look like, pray to, or choose to love.
Even if we’re stuck working today until 5:00 – then we’ll be free at last.
Of course, being in Iowa, you’d never know it was a holiday. Around here it’s treated like Columbus Day or maybe Veteran’s Day – a handful of people get the day off (banks, post office), but that’s about it.
For most people, it’s business as usual today. Schools are open, my employer is fully staffed, and just about everyone is going on with their daily lives. So unless you work for the Federal government or a financial institution, odds are pretty high you’re sitting at your desk reading this today. (But hey – at least you’re goofing off instead of actually working, so maybe that counts as a “holiday” in some fashion.)
I’ve always respected Dr. King – anyone who stands up for what he believe in and makes his points known in a peaceful yet resilient manner is okay in my books. I’m too young to remember what it was like to have segregation, and growing up in such a racially diverse neighborhood in Seattle as I did (where I was a minority), I have a hard time understanding how things ever got so bad that there was segregation in the first place. I mean, c’mon – we’re all humans, we’re all people. So I for one am glad that segregation is (mostly) a thing of the past, and I still hope that some day there will be enough peace, tolerance, and acceptance to go around to everyone, regardless of who they are. (Yes, I’m speaking to you, Mr. Bush.)
But as far as Dr. King’s holiday goes, I have a theory of why more Iowans (plus Nebraskans and South Dakotans, too) don’t celebrate it. And while it’s possible I could be wrong, I really think that I’m not too far off the right path.
Why won’t Iowans celebrate Dr. King’s birthday with a day off? Simple. The holiday is in mid-January.
Think about it: It’s yet another holiday so close after dealing with several holidays right in a row (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and the Bowl Championship Series). You just had a couple of days off of work, and odds are you took a couple of extra days here and there in between, so things are just starting to return to normal around the office. And now here’s another holiday so soon? It’s like being offered pumpkin pie five minutes after you've stuffed yourself with turkey dinner. It sounds great, but can’t we wait a little bit?
Part two of the problem is the fact that January 15 is usually bitter cold around here. There aren’t too many barbeques, picnics, or 3-day weekend camping trips going on when it’s 20 degrees outside. So what’s there to do with your long weekend? I suppose you can sit around and watch the NFL playoffs, or you can go to a movie or the mall on Monday (both open regular hours), but you’re not going to be laying outside in the sun getting a tan or planting your garden or inviting the guys over for a few burgers on the grill. It’s just too damn cold.
Deep down, I believe that the indifference to Dr. King’s holiday not racially motivated; it’s just a matter of unfortunate timing. If Dr. King’s holiday was the 2nd Monday in August, you can guarantee that everyone would beg for the day off.
But in the end, I hope everyone can take a moment today and remember what Martin Luther King tried to teach us as a nation – that we all deserve to be free, no matter what we look like, pray to, or choose to love.
Even if we’re stuck working today until 5:00 – then we’ll be free at last.
posted by Tommy G at
8:27 AM
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