An American Pakistani's Hope For Peace in South Asia & Around the World~

Reported by Manzer Munir for Pakistanis for Peace  1/15/2018

Today, January 15 is Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday and it is also a federal holiday here in the United States. Understandably, this holiday has very special meaning for African-Americans throughout the United States and across the world. It is a holiday that should also be vigorously celebrated by all other Americans as well. Dr. King not only fought for the rights of African-Americans but he was fighting for the rights of all other minorities in the United States. The rights of white women, Asian Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, Arabs and Muslims, Jews and Buddhists, Atheists and Agnostics and all other minority groups that reside in the United States owe their freedoms to the legacy and sacrifice of Dr. King.

Can we imagine an America without Dr. King sacrifices? Would Korean-Americans in Southern California have the freedom and equality to own businesses and be successful in living the American dream or would they still have been relegated to second-class citizenship as was the case in the 1960’s? Would doctors from India and Pakistan be able to come to America and pursue such high standards of living while at the same time treating Americans of all races in their practices and making the quality of healthcare better for all Americans or would segregation and Jim Crow laws have prevented them from only seeing minority clients and drinking from Black only fountains? It would be foolish to think that only African Americans would be treated badly history shows that anyone who was not white did not have the privilege to access certain facilities.

Countless white Americans have intermarried with Asians blacks Latinos and other races and former beautiful families over the last several decades. What all these families be possible without the sacrifice and struggles of Dr. King in getting equality for all Americans?

A Barack Obama would not be possible if it was not for the sacrifices of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Young children across America of various ethnic backgrounds now have a role model and a vision that they too can attain the highest office in the land now that the color barrier has been broken in the White House. Without Dr. King, President Obama is not possible and hope does not have a vision.

As a Pakistani-American, I do not take for granted the freedoms that I enjoy today in 2018 and that my children are able to take advantage of as well. I clearly understand that along with Dr. King and many other civil rights leaders of the 60s we would not have the freedoms that we now have and those that we take for granted.

Martin Luther King holiday is a holiday for all Americans of all races including white Americans. He has a legacy that has made this country great and what it is today. MLK Day is a day of celebration and a day for all Americans of all racial and ethnic backgrounds to reflect upon Dr. King’s legacy and to honor his memory and ultimate sacrifice for all of us to live in a better America and thus a better world today. As Americans, he belongs to us all and we all should celebrate his life and contributions in making us a great country and society.