The National Black Holiday Weekend

Happy National Black Holiday Weekend Everyone!

(OK, so the people most likely to read this aren't black... but don't you wish your Jewish friends Happy Hannukah? :) )

The next six days are historic not only for African-Americans but for all Americans.

Of course, today is the birthday of Martin Luther King who encouraged equal opportunity for all by dismantling much of the last vestiges of institutionalized racial discrimination. While some of his personal faults - real and imagined - were uncovered after his death, one can not deny the impact that he had on our nation, let alone wonder how much further we would be along if he had lived a full life.

Tomorrow marks the nationwide release of the movie Notorious, a biography of the life of Christopher Wallace better known as rap artist Biggie Smalls or the Notorious B.I.G. It may seem somewhat facetious to include a hip-hop musician next to MLK, especially if one is not a fan of hip-hop music. And to many "conscious rap" fans, he did not exactly reinvent the wheel on the "gangsta rags to blinged-out riches" formula. Nonetheless, his poetic skills and delivery was appreciated by many in Generation X and Y.

Monday will be the national observation of Martin Luther King's birthday. I'll never forget stumbling across The O'Reilly Factor on that night a few years ago when Bill O'Reilly acknowledged the occasion by reminding viewers of King's alleged ties to the Communist Party. Then Bill went straight to a discussion about Stop Snitchin', an underground documentary featuring would-be Baltimore drug dealers and their efforts to go about their business plans uninterrupted. Way to honor the day, Bill....

The magnitude of the King national holiday on Monday occcuring side-by-side with the inauguration of Barack Obama as our next President on Tuesday can not be understated. In fact, it's hard for me to articulate the significance and irony of it all. Whether or not you voted for Mr. Obama, let's hope that he is able to follow through on finding common ground on solutions for our country so that there will continue to be more diverse choices (including women and minorities) in future elections.