To the editor:

I was pleased to read in the Jan. 20 Sunday Messenger that the Fort Dodge community is reinstating a local chapter of the NAACP. Ira Shivers’ comment that the organization is about ” … bringing in different people from different backgrounds, different races, to bring it all together” echoes the mission statement of the NAACP, which is to ensure justice and equality for all and to eliminate discrimination. Martin Luther King was an inspiration to all people; and he reminded us that, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are we doing for others?'” Our area is changing, Iowa is changing, and the world is changing as we experience increasing diversity. This initiative is a positive response to the challenges of a diverse, but thriving, community.

I might add that the Fort Dodge Community School calendar indicates that Martin Luther King Day will be observed unless it is used as a snow makeup day. The message is that we will honor MLK if it doesn’t interfere with the yearly schedule. That equivocation is not respectful. It would be better to add a day or two to the Easter break, and use those days as makeup days if needed.

Toni Hood

Humboldt