On this day, we come together as a nation, to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Some of us will be coming together in a day of service, others will be coming together in community events, such as prayer breakfasts and parades.

No matter how we choose to celebrate and remember Dr. King, we should keep in mind that it is up to each of us as individuals to choose peace over violence, to choose community over division, and to choose understanding over fear. Dr. King spoke of this in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech:

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

We cannot walk alone. Yet, in order to walk together, we must choose community over division. When we work together, there are no limits to what we can accomplish as Oklahomans, as Americans, and as human beings. Whether it’s a teacher who has dedicated his life to improving the lives of the children in the community where he grew up, or a police officer who puts her life on the line to protect the people of her city. Whether it’s a nurse who dedicates herself to taking care of the ill, or a construction worker building the roads and railways that will take us where we want to go. It takes all of us working together, all of us choosing peace over violence, community over division, and understanding over fear to live in a world that we can pass on to our children, and our children’s children, better than we found it.

Let’s build a brighter future for Oklahoma in 2010 by working together and “conducting our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.” In this time of great economic fear and uncertainty, let’s walk together and live up to the ideals of our state flag, whose “symbols of peace unite all people.” Let’s come together around our shared vision and shared values to claim victory for the people of Oklahoma in 2010.

Who’s in?

-Brittany Novotny