Good Day for Self-Examination

Martin Luther King Jr. initiated a national dialogue on race relations that reached from the churches of the South to the White House and helped to end legalized segregation in the United States. Today, as Americans celebrate the holiday that honors the civil rights leader, 11 regions are holding community dialogues to address continuing racial tensions and societal divisions. This is an appropriate effort in the name of a man who inspired so many to work to shed their prejudices and judge others solely by the content of their character.

Today’s sessions are modeled after the “Day of Dialogue” that took place in Los Angeles in October 1995, shortly after the not guilty verdict in the O.J. Simpson criminal trial heightened racial polarization in this city and the nation. Led by volunteer mediators trained to defuse tensions and encourage healing, the 1995 meetings at 100 sites around Southern California encouraged participants to express their fears, frustrations, stereotypes, biases and racial experiences in a confidential setting. The goal was racial mending. Prompted by today’s national holiday in remembrance of Dr. King, slain by an assassin’s bullet in 1968, 60 civic and community groups have scheduled sessions this month in Southern California.

Other cities holding “National Days of Dialogue on Race Relations” are Washington, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Amherst, Mass., Durham, N.C., Salisbury, Md., Tallahassee, Fla., and Tuscaloosa, Ala.

In California racial tensions have been exacerbated by divisive debates over immigration and affirmative action. The need for continued dialogue is obvious.

In pulpits and protests, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many other Americans challenged this nation to live up to the promises of democracy. The “Days of Dialogue” continue that tradition.