Today, many people celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A civil rights pioneer, a man who questioned the world he lived in and a man who brought about change in the most dramatic of ways when he and several thousand Americans decended on the Lincoln Memorial for one of the most defining moments in our nation’s history.
Have you ever been asked: “Where were you when….?”
Not to lessen the legacy that Dr. King had, but I’m afraid I wasn’t alive when King made his famous “I have a dream” speech in Washington D.C., though I have the highest respect for a man that dared to challenge the iniquities and shortcomings of this country – especially those in the south – head on.
The typical question of my generation is “Where were you during 9/11?” Other such events that rocked this country that can still be recalled by those living today are: Pearl Harbor, the assasination of John F. Kennedy, the day the Space Shuttle blew up, the day John Lennon died and of course, September 11th, 2001.
The reason I bring this up is that not only is family history the history of one’s family, it is also the history of the family with regard to national and international events around them. These events that have defined western history are but a few of the major events that our nation, indeed our world, and its citizens have endured. Those listed above may have resonated with more people because they are all sudden, completely unexpected events at the time. There are events that also endure like The Great Depression, WWII, the Cuban Missle Crisis, the civil rights movement, Vietnam and the current war the United States fights in Iraq and Afganistan.
When talking to your parents or grandparents, don’t forget to ask them about the events that defined their lives and their generations as well – especially those that happened on a national or international stage. For while we can learn from our mistakes and successes in our own families, we can also learn from the events of the past in pressing onto the future.
