'Power of One'

This year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration theme was "The Power of One," a slogan which reminds us that the capacity for change, for improving our world, rests within each of us. Working for equity, justice, peace and understanding in our communities, our country or simply at our University is not the responsibility of a great leader -- we've all got a hand in the action.\nBut many of us are awfully busy being a little self-absorbed and disinterested. So first, what not to do:\nI've heard numerous white students dismiss the recognition of MLK Day as a "black holiday" in which they have no desire to participate (oddly, the same students often claim to be "colorblind"). But race and racism in this country are everyone's problem. Perhaps no white American students alive today owned slaves or directly participated in the legal racism of the 20th century, but we've all inherited the same country with its overtly racist history that has shaped our communities today. As long as people are still negatively judged, marginalized and excluded on the basis of race, we will all have a stake in remedying the problem, at least if we want to claim that we're just, moral people.\nIt is equal in comparison to other forms of oppression in the U.S. Take sexism: It's not just a "women's issue" that they still earn less than men. I certainly don't have to be a woman to be upset about this inequity. Rather, I need to be a concerned citizen with a moral conscience.\nOr, for example, it's neither a "black issue" nor a "women's issue" that the burning question of next year's presidential election is already: "Is America ready for a black (or female) president?" The fact that we even pose the question betrays ugly realities for our land of freedom and supposedly unlimited opportunity (notice no one ever asks, "Is America ready for another heterosexual, white, Christian male president?" Although that's a more appropriate question). The continuing reality of exclusion and social inequality is an issue for which we are all responsible.\nWhat do you need to channel this power?\n• Awareness and compassion for the people around you. Unless you're an isolated hermit, you are part of community that is much greater than you. Therefore, we must all negotiate our needs, problems and wants collectively -- with an eye toward consequences and ramifications. We must also be willing to act on behalf of those with whom we share a community; prove we are trustworthy citizens and friends through our actions.\n• A person with a moral consciousness that doesn't understand others deserves to be stripped of humanity or human dignity. Morality that dictates individual gain should not produce harm and suffering for others.\n• A clear sense of responsibility and accountability that prevents you from claiming, "That is someone else's problem!"\nThis may not be the magic recipe, but it's a starting point to embrace and enact the "power of one"