I went to see the movie, The Butler, during the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s speech in Washington D.C. It was a unique experience, watching President Obama commemorate that historical milestone wihle sitting in the predominantly black neighborhood of East Orange, New Jersey.

I felt thankful for how far this country has come while being conscious of how much further we have to go. Thankful that my father-in-law and his siblings all went to college (and now have successful careers ranging from TV director to doctor to assistant attorney general), because their mother (Grandma Minnie) made sure they were afforded the educational opportunities that she wasn’t. Yet conscious that there is a disparate proportion of minorities who don’t have the chance to pursue higher education because of socio-economic realities and a mindset created by generational poverty.

Thankful that my husband and I can walk around hand in hand without fear of discrimination in most parts of the country though we’re an (ambiguously ethnic) interracial couple. Conscious that there are still many parts of the country where we would not be treated with the same respect and value deserved by all humans.

Thankful that someone like Eugene Allen (whose real-life experiences The Butler is loosely based on) could subserviently infiltrate and subtly influence the most powerful men in the world with his work ethic and quiet gratitude. Conscious of the dark irony that we celebrate a black man in the 1960’s working as a servant as “progress.”

I am left feeling both grateful and hopeful. We have a long way to go, America. But, the conversations re-ignited this week are a great start.

[photo source: Time.com]