This weekend Americans celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an icon of moral courage.  Although Dr. King’s name has become synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement, there were many other individuals who challenged discrimination in matters big and small, demonstrating their own moral courage.  A modern day example of this is Michael Gunn, a white man and father of a bi-racial daughter challenged racial discrimination aimed at his child.  His story demonstrates that a morally courageous person does not shy away from fighting for what’s right, no matter how small the issue may seem.

Michael Gunn and his teenage daughter went swimming in the pool located at his apartment complex.  Gunn claims that his landlord, Jamie Hein, a white woman, complained about it.  She accused his daughter of “…making the pool ‘cloudy’ because she used chemicals in her hair.”  Shortly thereafter, Hein posted a sign at the pool’s entrance which read “Public Swimming Pool, White Only.”  The sign, an antique from Jim Crow era Alabama, was used prior to the Civil Rights Act to separate whites and blacks from sharing the same space.

Gunn described his reaction to seeing the sign as filled with “… shock, disgust and outrage”. He immediately moved out of the complex, not wanting to embarrass or humiliate his daughter.  He also explained how upset his daughter was to learn months later that his decision to move out of the complex “was in a way related to the color of her skin.”

Hein has insisted that she is not a racist.  She has commented that she was trying to “protect” her assets.  She stated further that, “If I have to stick up for my white rights, I have to stick up for my white rights.  It goes both ways.”

Although Gunn no longer lived at the complex, he filed a discrimination complaint with the Ohio civil rights commission to ensure that the landlord’s actions would not go unexamined.  The commission found Hein’s actions to be discriminatory, releasing a statement that says the sign “restricts the social interaction between Caucasians and African-Americans and reinforces discriminatory actions aimed at oppressing people of color.”  In response, Hein has asked the commission to reconsider its ruling.

Hein is just one landlord of many in Ohio and one of very few to be so overtly discriminatory.  Gunn could have simply moved away and not concern himself with Hein.  Instead, Gunn made a decision to take action based on the principle of the matter, not the magnitude of it.  In the true spirit of Dr. King, Michael Gunn realized that any injustice must be rectified.