Back then it was summertime, between quarters of college. I was about to be a junior, had decided on a major (education), was not yet married nor even engaged. I was almost 20. For me personally, the Civil Rights movement was both close and far away; but for all the years since that time, more and more of us have gone amen to the dream King wrote about. Can we truly see beyond the barriers to who each of us truly is? While some feared King's words, others thought please let it be so if not today then someday.
Someday is so close. Much of the country has come a long way toward seeing past gender or color of skin. I thought repeating the key words from King's speech would be a good reminder of his dream. Recently, talk of a dream has been ridiculed by those who understand the power of a dream to bring about change-- change they do not want as they take larger and larger slices of the pie. For those who value King's dream, it's time again to stand up for it.
His words were said for the United States, but they are words worthy of a worldwide dream. We are all humans. We are more alike than different when we push our governments out of the way and look at our real needs. It is up to us, not our leaders, to make it be so. It can happen if we have a dream.
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"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.<
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!
"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
"This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. And this will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!" And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true." -- Martin Luther King Jr.
8 comments:
Rain - the last two posts resonate so deeply and clearly for me. Thank you for being you and for bringing these incredibly powerful reflections forward for us.
I love being reminded, rain. Thank you for posting these words and dreams.
The dream is real. Hope is a verb and in the words of that great group, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes: "Wake up everybody, No more sleeping in bed. No more backward thinking, time for thinking ahead..." Today, America woke up.
Marti
You said it all. I wrote on the same subject today, but I was a little more "in your face" about it. I just hope we can all remember today and what it has meant to this country.
Indeed, Indeed. I watched this speech on my B&W Tv and so wished I could have been there. But seeing it "live" was thrilling and moving and so deeply touching. And look at where we are on this very day 45 years later! Bless Dr. King for his vision of the future. No, we are no completely there yet, but we have come a long long way from where we were 45 years ago today!
Thanks for these words, once again Rain...!
Having just watched his speech....WOW!!
Wherever you were tonight, Rain, I hope you got to see Obama's speech. It felt like the olden days of Democratic politics.
And thanks for reposting MLK's I Have a Dream. I needed that.
I really appreciate seeing the words of Martin Luther King in print. Thank you.
As was repeated at the Democrat convention, the dream lives on.
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