Dr. Lani Guinier’s Speech, Reaction Paper Example

The most powerful impression had by me regarding Dr. Lani Guinier’s speech was one of privilege.  Even as I felt myself vitally connected to the experience, I was also aware of the enormous advantage of it.  It seemed to me more than an ordinary event in celebration of Dr. King, because so many powerful elements came together to add greater meaning even to that.  To begin with, I was profoundly moved by Dr. Guinier’s evident passion.  When she spoke of how Harvard Law, or any school, must exist to reflect the wider needs of the community beyond it, I understood how involvement in important issues is not a thing to be done after preparation; it is about the present, and about how such involvement is necessary for carrying any education further. These words literally inspired me because I felt a sudden sense of how I am a part of everything occurring around me.  Privilege was reinforced as this sense felt to me like an understanding of humanity itself, and all it requires and gives back.

Equally moving to me was how Dr. Gunier explained what I believe is at the heart of Dr. King’s message to the nation and the world.  She went beyond the overt contribution of him to Civil Rights to emphasize a reality too often ignored; that Civil Rights are the rights of all, and commitment to them translates to the welfare of everyone.  In using the metaphor of the shepherd and the flock, Dr. Gunier expands the horizon and reveals how all men and women may take on leadership roles.  This is reinforced by her discussion of Rosa Parks, and it all goes to a core reality.  It is not about one race seeking equality, but about a united effort for equality led by many and that has meaning for all, and no race can prosper when any race is denied.  King was a champion of humanity, not blacks, and I found this presentation nothing less than beautiful.  I feel Dr. Gunier is serving a vital function, all these years after King’s death, in pointing out the true meaning of his crusade.  This meaning goes to the core of the most essential pursuits of any society, as it reflects spiritual concerns of humanity common to all faiths.  For me, and as expressed with conviction and passion by Dr. Gunier, the imperative facing us always, and as individuals and as a society, is to comprehend and fulfill what it means to be a part of true humanity.

Works Cited

Gunier, L.  27th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebration.  Web. <http://teachingexcellence.mit.edu/from-the-vault/27th-annual-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-celebration-2001-dr-lani-guinier