We Shall Overcome

Just by chance last night we watched a show we had tivo'd ~ Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration. Folk singers and musicians sang the songs that Pete had made so popular. At some point they all came together and begin to sing "We Shall Overcome". As one the audience stood and begin to sing with them. Arms around each other both on stage and in the house, they stood and sang and I sang too. I wished for a circle of friends to wrap my arms around.

As we sang, I realized today would be the birthday of Martin Luther King, jr.

How often during those turbulent years did we march, meet, protest and finally sing ~ and slowly but surely we did overcome. I know there is still prejudice of all kinds out there. And I grew up in the era of separate but Very Unequal and every step we took, every meeting we held, every vote we cast finally began to move the world closer to a basic humanitarian equality. We still have a long way to go to find the balance we seek ~ and we have overcome so much that I believe we have a right to stand and sing in celebration. Happy Birthday, Dr. King.