The Hill Street Blahg

I’m not a fan of Fox News contributor Juan Williams but I admire him for his accomplishments, both personally and professionally. I think he is an honorable person and despite his liberal views, I would not consider Juan mean spirited. I feel Mr. Williams also has a bit of a whining streak in him and I find it rude how he is always interrupting his fellow commentators during their televised debates. Never the less, Juan should be a role model to all of the Black youth in our country and is a perfect example of how self-pride, perseverance, and education can lift a person out of poverty.

On the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, Juan Williams wrote one of the most powerful opinion essays I’ve read in a long time. In his commentary, Juan compares the differences between MLK’s dream to Barack Obama’s dream. It is an outstanding essay and for those of you who didn’t have a chance to read it, you can read it in it’s entirety here. Here is a brief excerpt from Juan’s opinion piece.

Martin Luther King Jr. died at age 39; today, the 40th anniversary of his death, is the first time he has been gone longer than he lived.

Figures such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have tried to claim his place on the American stage. But at most they have achieved fame and wealth. What separated King from any would-be successor was his moral authority. He towered above the high walls of racial suspicion by speaking truth to all sides.

Now comes Barack Obama, a black man and a plausible national leader, who appeals across racial lines. But to his black and white supporters, Mr. Obama increasingly represents different things.