The Next Civil Rights Movement
Martin Luther King Day is such an important day for all of us. We have the opportunity to remember a man who made a difference to an entire nation and beyond. But Martin Luther King, Jr. is important not just for what he did for the civil rights movement of his day. Instead of just celebrating what he did in the past, we should be challenged about what we can do in the present.
What is the next civil rights movement? Some would say that we need to put all our energy into LGBTQ rights. From my perspective, living in Canada, the homosexual community is doing quite well. Many are well-educated, articulate and have an effective lobbying group. I am not suggesting that the LGBTQ community should have rights taken away, I am suggesting only that there may be other groups that need our help at the present.
The group that I am thinking of are those with disabilities, especially those with developmental disabilities. There have been many recent examples of physical and emotional abuse toward those with developmental disabilities. There are even those who are claiming the developmentally disabled are not “persons” and that they should lose the rights of persons. Unfortunately, many with developmental disabilities do not have the voice to stand up for their rights.
Should we just stand by and watch the disabled be taken advantage of, lose their rights, perhaps including the right to life? Who will be the Martin Luther King, Jr. for the disabled? There are a few people, many of them from the Christian community, but there is not enough.
Even recently, political leaders have pushed to have those with developmental disabilities removed from “normal” communities so as not to hurt property values.
Celebrate Martin Luther King Day and rejoice at what he accomplished in his generation. But ask yourself what you can do for those who currently need us, especially those with developmental disabilities.
