As I sifted through my favorite Martin Luther King Jr. quotes for my Facebook #MLK quote contribution, I came upon one of the best:
“There is nothing wrong with a traffic law which says you have to stop for a red light. But when a fire is raging, the fire truck goes through that red light, and normal traffic had better get out of its way. Or when a man is bleeding to death, the ambulance goes through those red lights at top speed. There is a fire raging… for the poor of this society. Disinherited people all over the world are bleeding to death from deep social and economic wounds. They need brigades of ambulance drivers who will have to ignore the red lights of the present system until the emergency is solved.”
If you have seen my 2015 Win a Trip with Nick Kristof video, you’ve heard it.
And if you were my family during the 10 or so days it took to produce, you’ve heard it about 300 times.
However, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that this is only one of my favorite life mantras from Mr. King. In his memory (and to aid my own), I’d like to dedicated the remaining words of this post to his wisdom and poise. Among characters like Gandhi, Jesus, Mother Theresa and Nelson Mandela, Mr. King continues to inspire me to pursue justice with all of my might. May his work and vision live on through the peacemakers, activists and humanitarians of today.
– md
MEAGAN E. DOLL 