Welcome to Gaia! ::

i know it's early, but it's just a question i've been thinking about all morning...

i was talking to a man this morning who had some opinions that MLK Day is no longer relevant. he thought that MLK Day is now just a new holiday that McDonalds and BET promote. he also said something about schools only teaching about civil rights this week in school, which i never really thought about. [looking back, i see that it might be true.] he gave a bunch more reasons, but i still think it's important to have.

what do you guys think?

I think right now, the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day is still relevant, especially to people who are interested in celebrating the contributions that Black Americans like King have made. Sure, McDonalds and BET have been capitalizing on Black History Month for a long time...but if the red and pink M&Ms that are on store shelves now are any indication, we love to do holiday-themed stuff here in America. xd Like Pie-raider says--if schools didn't teach black history in January (around MLK Day) or in February (Black History Month), then when would they teach it?? It's most relevant during these times, just like teaching a class about the history of Saint Nicolas would be most relevant in December, when kids have Christmas on the brain.

Unfortunately, MLK Day is almost like New Year's Day now: do many people really celebrate January 1 traditionally? Do many people celebrate it traditionally at all? It doesn't make people any less aware of the new year if they don't celebrate it, just like people who don't engage in traditional MLK Day festivities may not be any less aware of black history. For some, it's a day/week to reflect and learn, share and educate...for some it's just a day where the banks and schools are closed.. neutral