MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil rights in America have come a long way since the late 60s, and much of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. started then has snowballed into the movement that brought us closer to equality and farther from racism and segregation.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time to celebrate those achievements and keep the issues in the forefront of our society's collective mind.
The theme this year is "Remember, Celebrate, Act! A day on, not a day off," and the Sailors at Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Force Pacific took the occasion to educate more than 150 Marines and Sailors of MCB Hawaii about the history behind the civil rights movement.
The celebration breakfast at Anderson Hall Jan. 17 included musical selections by Petty Officer 1st Class Wilhelmina Heilman, from CPRFP, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Cassius Gilmer, from the Tactical Support Center, who led the audience in soulful songs that kept the mood light amidst discussion of much heavier subjects.
Senior Chief Michael Gregory, command senior chief at Marine Corps Air Facility, grew up in Birmingham, Ala., in the 60s, and told guests of his experiences with racism and segregation.
"I didn't know any different. We lived in an all-white neighborhood and went to an all-white school," he said when describing his childhood feelings about racial issues. "I don't think it was racism - it was just ignorance."
Gregory spoke of the shock he experienced when he enlisted in the Navy and suddenly worked with - and for - Sailors of other races. He explained how he worked through the issues on his own, and with a longtime friend who also had experiences with racism.
Rear Adm. Anthony Winns, commander, CPRFP, also talked about his experiences during his keynote speech.
Winns said there were seven defining moments in his life that proved to him the things Martin Luther King Jr. fought for were real.
He walked everyone through his experiences from the being a child in the Jacksonville, Fla., and drinking from a "colored only" water fountain, through his time in high school, the Naval Academy, and various command billets he's been assigned throughout his career in the Navy.
While our society has made leaps and bounds with regards to equality and civil rights for every citizen in the past 30 years, there are still improvements to be made, Winns added.
His experiences with racism, some as recent as 1997, prove that some in our society still hold on to the values they were taught in the late 60s, and until there is no racism or segregation in this country, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day will continue to be a relevant and necessary reason to celebrate.