Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service - Jenny Salazar!

MLK Day of Service 2014-Reflection

by Jenny Salazar serving at United Way of Lake County, Illinois

                I was a little worried about this reflection because I knew I would only be able to reflect on this experience with one friend who decided to join me for the MLK service day, but there was plenty for two people to think about.

                During set up we had to hang up posters of these little cards that the local elementary students had made as decoration. A lot of them were very common, “I have a dream for world peace” or “I have a dream everyone will recycle”. But there was one in particular, the main photo of my collage, that blew me away. The card read, “My dream is to be friends with people that don’t like my color”. It was an outstanding and profound moment to be able to read that and know that it came from a child as young as third grade. After the event my friend, Daisy, and I discussed how we felt about this and how it related to Dr. King.

                Daisy and I are both Latina Americans, and, in our opinion, have dealt with our fair share of discrimination and oppression. These experiences have lead to negative thoughts and feelings, because they have been negative and hurtful experiences. However reflecting on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and this young child’s dream, Daisy and I have realized that its time for us to change our attitudes towards discrimination and racism.

The quote I chose is a small excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s, I Have a Dream Speech. It reads, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.  We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline”. I think this is exactly what that third grader is doing. She is able to realize that there will be certain people who do not like her simply because of the color of her skin. Although it would be easier for her to be bitter and hateful towards those types of people, she truly acts with dignity. This is probably the best thing I could have taken from my MLK day of service. Although there will be people and things that oppress us, we must stay positive and dignified.  I must treat all people and all things with respect despite past negative experiences.  It was truly humbling to reflect on the simple yet mature thinking of a third grader.  I was more than happy to participate in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s day of Service and I hope I can take this message with me and act on it.

beautifully shared Jenny, thank you for sharing your reflection with the team!!!!