"In Motion"

     It's been quite the summer.  Race relations have been more of a sizzle than the heat.  The "Not Guilty" verdicts in the Trayvon Martin case sparked debates over equality within the judicial system.   It didn't take long before Trayvon Martin's name was linked with Emmitt Till, the young black teenager brutally beaten and killed in the 1960's for looking, and some say whistling, at a white woman.
     Now weeks later we have "Lee Daniels' The Butler" drawing in crowds to see the story of a black butler who served 21-years in the White House, including one of the most explosive times for civil rights.
     The movie offers an intriguing viewpoint into the Civil Rights struggle through not only the eyes of a butler, but young people coming of age, who would become the leaders of the next decade.  Wow!  It became evident that people of color throughout the United States clearly understood the inequality but how they chose to deal with it brought internal conflict, especially for those living in the north.
     It made me wonder about those living in midwestern states like Indiana.  It made me wonder what a young (21-year old) Carol Jenkins was thinking the moment she branched off to sell encyclopedias  alone in Martinsville in 1968.   Perhaps she, like many of the young people who protested during that era, looked fear in the face and still decided to take a stand for their own rights.   Perhaps.
     If we're honest, we can probably look back at history and see new generations trying to right the course of equality in America.   This concept has emerged throughout the summer and reminds me of a quote from neurologist James H. Austin that says "Chance favors those in motion."
     Bottom line...those who fought to change civil rights back then took a stand.  Today we must all ask ourselves what needs to change, and what are we willing to take a stand for?