Dr. King

Over the last week I have been thinking a lot about Dr. Martin Luther King. Not only did the Presidential candidates mention Dr. King when discussing other issues but in anticipation of the holiday next week I was trying to think about the social movement that Dr. King led and whether or not there are similarities to the movement we are trying to create.

Ironically, a week before the debate on “race” was elevated between Senators Clinton and Obama my good friend Chet Culver, Governor of Iowa, sent me a copy of “Dream,” a book about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. which includes excerpts from his various speeches. One quote from his “Experiment in Love” speech given in 1958 struck me. Dr. King said:

“It may well be that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition is not the glaring noisiness of the so-called bad people, but the appalling silence of the so-called good people”

Friends, we must adhere to this notion today in the war on cancer. We must all raise our voices, eliminate the silence and speak up for what we believe. If we do, we can save lives. If Dr. had not done so our world would be a different place filled with hatred and segregation. Thank god he spoke up. Let’s follow his lead. Get your friends, colleagues and neighbors involved. Speaking together and speaking loudly will make a difference.

If you get the chance, grab a copy of the book “Dream” – you will not be disappointed and more importantly you will be inspired and you will find yourself dreaming of a better time in the future.

On the birthday of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., I think it is appropriate to reference something he once said: “Of all the forms of inequaility, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”