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Published Sat, Feb 11, 2012 02:00 AM
Modified Fri, Feb 10, 2012 03:26 PM

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Tags: news | opinion - mailbag

Regarding the Feb. 4 letter "Washington fading": Why is it always an "either/or" formulation for some people? Both Washington and MLK can be admired and studied for their efforts on behalf of freedom.

At the time of the American Revolution, there were approximately 2,800,000 non-native people living in the colonies, including large pockets of colonists who remained loyal to the British crown during the Revolution and a significant number of enslaved people.

In 1960, at the peak of the civil rights movement, the African-American population of the Jim Crow South was about 11,311,607! King's leadership in the fight for freedom matters a lot to a lot of Americans (and beyond).

If the story of America you love is the one that celebrates those who fought for freedom, then be like the parent of the first-born child who can't ever imagine loving anything or anyone more, who comes to realize with the birth of the next child that, indeed, love grows.

Laura Farkas

Raleigh

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