Loyola and the MLK Jr. Celebration

I know I'm no longer in India, so the title of this blog is relatively moot, but meri pyari hindustan hai to (my love is India so) why not continue making some entries?
Today Loyola Student Diversity hosted Judge Mathis, the guy with the show on the WB. I've never been a big fan of judge TV shows, but I'm officially a Judge Mathis fan. As he pointed out at the beginning of his talk Loyola provided quite a diverse crowd, which is good to see as oftentimes I go to campus events sponsored by or maybe geared towards a more specific background, but open to all and I find myself to be the odd one out; that was certainly not the case tonight.
Judge Mathis was invited to Loyola to give a speech to commemorate the life and works of Dr. King. He gave a powerful and humorous message that focused on doing our part, taking our own despite the social or pyschological barriers we may face because of our background or life experiences or maybe just general self doubt. Proposing Dr. King and President Johnson were not the only primary actors in the Civil Rights Movement, he twisted a common expression and asserted that "Leaders are not made, they are born." Then, he paused, pointed out that we must be a bit confused and explained his stance, "Out of the yearning for justice of the people, leaders a born. Out of the cry for justice of the people, leaders are born." He went on to emphasize that the masses rather than the few affect progress and they are how Dr. King and President Johnson were in a position to step up and succeed. He spoke of fear to step out and compete. He told us of his struggle to get his law liscense after getting a law degree and passing the bar because he had offenses on put on his record at the age of 14. Injustice. However, in the face of adversity, he used the mistakes of his past to empower the future and I do believe that's what he did by spending this evening at Loyola. I was refreshed by hearing his inspiring words and the call to action for our generation, one that may not be dealing with quite as blatant injustice, but perhaps that is what makes it a struggle. We have to get over ourselves, over the fact that maybe it seems like a passion for change would have been more useful in the 1960s and recognize the opportunities of creating a more just world today.