In most regards, 46 is an unimportant number. It doesn’t divide evenly very often. It isn’t the number of any legendary athlete. No one parties hard for his or her 46th birthday. Despite the usual insignificance of the number 46, the Trinitonian finds it important to remind its readers that today marks the 46th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Why, you might ask, is this important? As covered, 46 doesn’t mean a lot. It might be prudent to just wait four years, and start talking about this monumental event on its 50th anniversary. 50 is big, 50 is important. Half a decade, that’s an appropriately impressive amount of time; we can talk about 50. What is there to say about 46?
In response to this question (this completely hypothetical question you might not even have asked us), we have this to say: the anniversary of MLK’s assassination is no less important on years that are not major anniversaries. April 4 of every year is an important day. The cause that MLK died for is just as critical on its 46th anniversary as it was on it’s 10th or 27th or 39th. It will continue to be critical on its 50th and 57th and 74th. Civil rights and racial equality are as serious an issue today as they were 40 years ago. We have made progress””that fact is undeniable. However, we are far from the finish line.
Now, while we doubt that you disagree with any of the above statements, you may still be asking yourself why we are dithering on about it. As it so happens, we noticed a MLK-friendly theme in this week’s Trinitonian, and we felt that theme was serendipitous given today’s anniversary. In the pages of this week’s Trinitonian, you will find story after story that highlights diversity and the importance of understanding different peoples.
The front-page story of this week’s newspaper spotlights research performed by a Trinity Student and professor about rape culture in India. Their research synced up with a seminar class that looked at rape locally, nationally and globally. Rape is not an isolated issue. It is an international problem, and it can only be solved through international collaboration and understanding. In addition to the front cover article, this week’s newspaper also covers the spring choral concert and Spotlight, two events that featured music from a variety of sources and cultures. This weekend will also see a performance by Eliot Chang, a comedian whose material confronts racial stereotypes.
In comparison to the fight MLK lead and the sacrifices he made, these events seem trivial. However, it is often the small, seemingly insignificant events, like a 46th anniversary, that matter.
