Honor King by ... trouncing injustice

I used to think, "What can I do about this situation? I am just a small fish. No one will listen. The situation will not change. And at the end of the day I may even lose my job (and my family's livelihood) if I speak out."

Then I read this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends."

And I realized that during all of these years I had been complicit in the demise of some of my neighbors, colleagues, and friends.

Now, I am not afraid to speak out against injustices around me. I am not afraid to stand up with or for someone who is being victimized.

Martin Luther King Jr. stood for all of us. He knew the consequences but still forged ahead. He paid the ultimate price 50 years ago this week, but he paved the way for a brighter and better future for all of us. We need to do the right thing. It's never too late. Let us honor his memory by taking actions and speaking up when we see injustice around us.

Jean "Rudy" Perrault, performer, conductor and composer, director of orchestras, and associate professor of violin and viola at the University of Minnesota Duluth.