Tenth Grade First Place Essay
COLLIN McCARTHY
Bishop McDevitt High School

We Are Our Brothers’ Keeper

Often when we come together—as families, communities of faith, or as a nation—we pause to remember those who have gone before us, and consider the lessons of their lives. We give thanks for their sacrifices and honor their achievements and influence. But as we recall the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, we realize that his vision and example demands not only admiration, but action. The night before he died in April 1968, Dr. King pushed himself to speak to sanitation workers striking for fair wages and decent working conditions, even though he was ill. He could have put himself and his health first; there were others who could speak to the men and women who collected the garbage from the streets of Memphis. Instead, Dr. King put others first. He had a vision of what was possible, a vision of an America as it "ought to be," and believed that he could inspire people to make it a reality. Almost forty years later, though, we still have not reached his Promised Land. Perhaps we have not built the nation he envisioned because we have forgotten a central lesson of his life: we are our brother’s keeper.
Dr. Martin Luther King envisioned a land of simple equality, a land where men and women were paid fairly for their work, moved freely through their world, spoke their beliefs without fear of retaliation, and found the opportunity to realize their potential. This future nation, he told us judged men by character, not by color. Dr. King’s Promised Land fulfilled the potential of the American Constitution for all people in a way that not only protected them from harm, but also offered them the means and opportunities to realize the promise of a bright and successful future. This future nation stood as a community of citizens rather than a strained and stratified society of the powerful and the weak. Dr. King, and others like him, worked for laws that ensured that this vision of "liberty and justice for all" would become a reality.
Today, however, many of the laws intended to uphold or protect equal rights are questioned. Do we offer citizenship to immigrants? Do we suspend habeas corpus? Do we continue affirmative action? Do we institute national health care? In a time of economic instability and security scares, people worry that ensuring the rights of others threatens their own success and safety. With so much contention and confusion, how can we hope to make progress toward the America Dr. King believed we ought to create?
Perhaps we simply need to follow Dr. King’s example. Despite our discomfort and inconvenience, despite our fears about someone else’s success diminishing our own, we should stop asking, " What will happen to me?" and ask "What will happen to them?" Each of us must be our brothers’ keeper. After all, if we all look out for each other, we can be confident that someone is looking out for us.