Yesterday wasn’t just a day of game planning and watching film for men’s basketball coach Louis Orr.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day may mean a day off from school and work for some, but for Orr and countless others, it’s also a day of reflection on one of this country’s greatest leaders.
A 51-year-old black man, Orr was still young during King’s time of prominence, but as Orr grew up and learned about what King meant to his race, he became one of Orr’s heroes.
And more than 40 years after King’s death, Orr said his words still ring true.
“His words are still relevant today. They stood the test of time,” Orr said. “You have to look back. You can’t forget about important people in our past when they are so relevant today.”
Unfortunately, it seems King is often irrelevant to many except on the third Monday in January and throughout February when Black History Month is celebrated.
During a time where so much tragedy and war are spotted throughout the world, Orr said King’s words mean even more.
“You look back on him and you appreciate it more now because you see some of the turmoil that is going on around the world, and he was about love and peaceful protest and helping out your brother,” Orr said.
He used the example of the earthquake victims in Haiti as people who could use King’s words of perseverance and brotherhood. But really, King’s words could be used to help heal the small things that burden people’s lives every day.
Orr couldn’t recall a special phrase of King’s off the top of his head yesterday, but he did say he has his favorites and it was good to be reminded of them.
And we all should remind ourselves of King’s words that hit close to home or inspire us from time to time, not just because it’s a national holiday.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,'” King said during his Aug. 28, 1963 speech from Washington D.C.
“Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not-too-distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty,” King wrote in an April 16, 1963 letter from the Birmingham Jail.
Those are just a couple of my favorites from King, and it was good to hear those quotes again yesterday.
And it will be good to hear them anytime I happen to because they truly never get old. Sure it’s just a regular day now, but as Orr said, King’s words can never be a day late.
“He was just such a great orator,” Orr said. “His words — it’s good to hear them again. They never get old.”
