WS Chronicle

Donna Rogers

Something To Talk About

The Chronicle asked people how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. affected their lives. I want to add my voice to the conversation.

I was in the second grade in Columbia, S.C., when Dr. King was killed on April 4, 1968 at age 39. Days later, my second-grade teacher, Miss Wheeler, brought in a television to let us see his funeral during class.

I really didn’t know who Dr. King was then. I learned more about him as I grew older. He inspired me to keep trying to reach my goals.

My first meaningful introduction to Dr. King was when I had to read “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” as part of an English class in high school. I marveled at how eloquent he was. I was destined to be a journalist, so English was an important subject for me. I felt like he was someone I needed to know more about.

Over the years, I did learn more about Dr. King, through his books and other writings and through movies. I learned that he studied the tactics of Mahatma Gandhi, who practiced non-violence as he led a victorious movement to gain freedom for India from British rule.

Dr. King brought non-violent tactics to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and was victorious, too. I learned that Dr. King had to lead a movement that had several divisions that often clashed, but the movement continued to make gains.

But most of all I learned that he was a man that did not quit, until he was killed. He kept taking the movement to higher levels.

I am still learning about Dr. King.

I advocate reading and learning for everyone, especially young people. I hope the MLK Jr. holiday will spark new adventures and goals for young people so that they will be victorious leaders in their lives and the lives of others.