Barak Obama and Martin Luther King, Jr.

I really enjoyed reading both of these pieces. I really liked Obama's speech. I thought it was very well-written, and I agree with most of what he was saying. This, of course, is probably a big reason I liked it. I am hoping to be able to vote for Obama in November, and Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of my favorite historical people. I am very much a supporter of equality and fairness. It makes me very happy to see a black man as a main contender for the president. I am glad there is a woman there as well, however I wish it was a different woman.
I thought that both pieces effectively argued a point. I thought Obama did a great job of telling what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and how it will be done. Our country is facing many major problems right now, and he did a good job of showing his audience what those issues are, and what he will do about it. I thought that Martin Luther King, Jr. did a good job of cutting down the other side, but he did it without sounding arrogant. Sometimes people just cut them down for the sake of cutting them down. Martin Luther King, Jr. did a good job of showing why they are wrong and giving examples.
Today, just as in King's time, there are many race related injustices. There are still stereotypes and racist acts that occur. These include income, education, the way people walk, talk, and dress. The list goes on and on. Granted, things have for sure improved since King's time, but we have still not reached full equality. The fact that there are still white supremacist groups that practice is frightening. It has been over one hundred years since slavery ended, and African-Americans still have to watch out for these people? That is unacceptable. But, I guess that is what happens when you live in a country that supports free speech. (Not that I do not support this, it's just sad to see some of the speech that is allowed.)
There are still many hate crimes that occur today. These hate crimes mostly come from the white supremacists that are still allowed to practice. There are still people that proudly wave confederate flags, and it is not only in the South. I do not personally know what it feels like to be an African-American and see that, but I can imagine it must be tough. I get really mad when I see stuff like that still happening.
I lived in Kentucky for about four years, and there is a huge population of African-American people to go along with the huge population of racist people. In the town that I lived in there were two middle schools. One was all the kids that lived in town, which was a lot of African-American kids. The other was all the surrounding area of the county. So the second middle school, which I attended, had all the farmer kids. When the two middle schools came together at the high school, there were a lot of fights that went on because of the two groups coming together. It was hard, even for me, to look at some of the kids considered "hick" that would wear confederate flag belts and shirts. I cannot imagine how that made the African-American kids feel.
All in all, I think that both pieces we read do a very good job of not only arguing their point of view, but also painting a picture of what is going on and what needs to change. Even though Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote that letter in 1963, the things he said still need improving today. I think that King would be glad to see Obama running for president this year. I hope that if Obama does win the presidency, he follows through with what he has said, and I really hope he can make a difference.