Jerry Meyerle     Civil Thoughts Monday night I attended the celebration for Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. I learned about the event from a red flyer left on my windshield. Dressing for the occasion around seven p.m. (business attire was required), I could not ignore the fact that I was unusually nervous. I suppose the cause of my discomfort was the knowledge that soon I'd be attending an event where I would be the minority, something I am certainly not used to -- not in my classes at U.Va. or in my hometown of Fairfax. In my seat in the lower section, I read through the program. On the first couple of pages was printed a short history of Reverend King's life. It reminded me of the obvious, the obvious that I suppose that I hadn't actually forgotten, but rather didn't spend too much of my time thinking about: that Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated only 30 years ago. Segregation was outlawed only 44 years ago. He died before my birth; I learned about him in history class. My parents, who were my age when Rev. King was assassinated, never really mentioned his name or talked about the fight for civil rights. Regardless, there are times when I feel that these events could have happened three centuries ago, and it wouldn't have made a difference -- because my family and others in my life have nearly forgotten them. There are still many influential members of my society who remember these things first-hand, so when a well-educated upper-middle-class male like me speaks of the civil rights movement happening only three decades ago, am I digging up the past? Is this past because it was about black freedom, not mine? Sitting in the auditorium waiting for the ceremony to begin, I certainly thought so. I felt that Rev. King's message coming out over the speakers (a recording of one of his most famous speeches played as people were taking their seats) was not directed at me, or my parents for that matter. Well, of course I was wrong. The keynote speaker was Rev. William H. Gray, the advisor for American-Haitian foreign relations, the United Negro College Fund President, and a high-ranking member of the House of Representatives. He addressed the African-American students in the audience directly and spoke about many things that happened during the sixties and seventies. The fact is that most of us don't talk about that period of time very often. Dr. Gray's speech made it fresh in my mind. My intent in this short column was to share a glimmer of that moment and to communicate a little of what was on my mind after being forced to confront in a new way a part of my country's history that at times, I suppose, I'd just as soon forget. Rev. Gray forced me to think seriously about my own identity as a well-educated and capable member of the majority in this country. He made me think about my future and what I would -- and, more importantly, what I could -- do with it. Would I work for the justice that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of? Would I always remember the lessons to be learned from my past? After I receive my law degree, will I immediately begin to look for the biggest buck I can find? Or will I compromise a big salary and pick up some powerful motivation that will lead me to apply the education that I've been given to make a difference? This can be difficult for a privileged, well-adjusted member of the majority like me. But the reality of Rev. Gray's words got me thinking more than I ever had before about the possible results of my actions.

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