“Civil” rights in different times

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I was 10 years old in 1968 and it seemed the world was on fire. In some ways, it was.

The bad:

• In March, racist U.S. Presidential Candidate and Alabama Governor George Wallace spoke at a campaign rally in Omaha, Nebraska that resulted in peaceful protestors — including my Dad — being brutally beaten by his private security officers.
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in April.
• U.S. Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy was assinated later that year.

The good:

• The landmark, U.S. Civil Rights Act was passed.
• NASA’s Apollo 8 orbited the moon.
• Although harsh to listen to, all sides of political and societal issues were heard by the opposing voices.

My father, a bonafide peacemaker who worked his “day” job to benefit his family, spoke in civil tones and tenor. His colleagues did the same. Oh how we long for the good old days!