Jan. 22, 2014
Claire Babala is a sophomore in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities and the Honors College double majoring in professional writing and arts and humanities.
I’m not going to write another stereotypical blurb about Martin Luther King Jr. We all know he was a great man. We all know he said some inspiring things. But this year, I learned a few things that I had never heard before.
King was not afraid to speak up for what he believed. As we all know, he was an avid supporter of the civil rights movement, but he was also passionate about a few other things, specifically his denouncement of the Vietnam War. The most striking thing about this to me was through King’s dedication to ending the war, he alienated some of his most powerful allies, like President Lyndon B. Johnson, yet he still chose to speak out.
How striking is it that someone with so much on the line was willing to push forward and go up against not only those who were avidly against his pursuing equal rights, but those who supported him? I think that as a student I can learn a lot from these actions.
Passion is a key component to success. Whether it be through showing your support for an activist who shared your point of view, like the students who marched in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. this past Monday, or through volunteering and getting involved to empower those in your community, standing up for what you believe in is one of the most admirable traits that a person can possess.
Martin Luther King Jr. is just one example of many people who have taken charge and evoked a positive change in this world. I’ve always been impressed with how many opportunities there are at Michigan State to push forward like he did. After all, they say that “Spartans Will,” so what will you do?