It is a fact that our country would not be where it is now if the Civil Rights movement had not happened. I wonder if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ever thought we would elect a black president for our country a mere forty years after he died fighting for racial equality? It is a huge leap from where this country was in the 1960’s and 1970’s: the heart of the Civil Rights movement. During the Civil Rights movement, people of every race were working to end racism, intolerance, prejudice, and discrimination. The main aim was to get equality for blacks, but emphasis was also put on ending discrimination in every form. We have come a long way in the fight to end discrimination since the 1960’s but we still have a far way to go.

I think that the persistence, determination, and dedication of Civil Rights workers are what have gotten us so close to a tolerant society. Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy, Medgar Evers, and countless protesters tried as hard as they could to get others to see what they believed in. It is our duty to carry on their legacy which I think can be summed up in one word: love. To be truly happy and at peace we must first learn to love our neighbors as we would ourselves, treat them how we would like to be treated, and to recognize everyone as equal. If we do not, we are just setting the stage for another atrocity like the Holocaust. In my English class, I am reading a book by George Orwell called 1984. This book describes a futuristic society based on hate. I sincerely hope our world does not turn into this dystopia of complete hate, war, and intolerance that this book details. It should not matter what color skin your neighbor has, what gender they are, what their sexual orientation is, their religious beliefs, or even what football team they support. The Civil Rights movement was one of tolerance and equality and love. I think we need to carry on this message and as people living in this world we should make it as best it can be. This means carrying on the message of loving your neighbor.

My grandma and grandpa, John and Fern Giltner, were believers in equality for everyone. Grandpa was a Methodist preacher for many years and him and Grandma tried to show God’s love to everyone they could. In the 1960’s, Grandpa got his PHD from Yale Divinity School and then moved with Grandma to Roundhill, Virginia, where he taught at Howard University, a predominantly black college There were many young families in Roundhill that knew my grandparents and knew to go to them if they ever needed anything. Many of the black students were threatened and severely discriminated against during this time because it was right in the middle of the Civil Rights movement. People often went to my grandparent’s house for shelter, safety, comfort, a place to stay the night, and grandma would even make them a hot meal. Everyone was always welcome. They were a ray of light and hope to many people and touched many lives. In 1965, grandma and grandpa travelled to Selma, Alabama, to participate in a Civil Rights march. This march was led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My grandparents risked their lives and their reputation to stick to their belief that everyone is created equal and deserves equal rights.

People are falling victim to prejudice and intolerance every single day. It is difficult not to judge others when it is simply second nature for most of us. I admit that I judge people on a regular basis. I really try not to but sometimes I even judge people subconsciously, which I think everyone does at some time or another. Since we were children, we have all been taught to hate and dislike differences. Children form negative stereotypes when they hear their parents talking about how “strange” and “bad” certain people are because they are different. So, how do we end this vicious cycle of passing hate down from one generation to another? We could start by trying to stop labeling people as terrorists because they are Middle Eastern, criminals because they are black, wrong because they practice a religion we are not familiar with, Satanic because they are gay, stupid because they do not speak English, and so on and so forth. I honestly believe that everyone could be friends if we just accept everyone for who they are and embrace our differences. This is obviously easier said than done, but hopefully someday it can happen. We probably will not all become completely tolerant and have love for everyone in my lifetime, but maybe, if everyone makes an effort, it can happen in my children, grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren’s lifetime.