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42ND Anniversary of Dr. King’s “I’ve a Dream” Speech

Forty-two years ago today, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave one of the greatest speeches ever made:
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 slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four 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 the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, 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 with which I return to the South. 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.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a 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. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

- Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963


If Martin was around today, he would be proud, but he would also be sad. Proud to see black and white working together, going to school together, marrying, and for the most part living together in harmony. Racial prejudice still exists and it will be around for many years before this scrounge of humanity will be eradicated, if ever, but I too have a dream that one day this will be so.

His dream for the black man is far from over. Sadly, some black people are part of the problem. Many of us have no idea of what was sacrificed by others, such as Dr. King, for us to have the freedoms we enjoy today. We no longer respect each other or the sanctity of life; despite having access to education many of us choose not to educate ourselves. I, however, still have a dream that one day, Dr. King’s dream will finally be realised and we can all live together in peace. I have a dream that each black child, whether they’re born in the ghetto or in a mansion will one day realize their worth, and reach their full potential. Yes, I too have a dream.

Comments

thewriterslife said…
Hi my little Jamaiican friend! I wanted to pop over here today and read the latest. That speech was something, wasn't it. As a person who just so happens to have white skin (which doesn't matter either way), my input on this is that I feel that there have been great strides in working towards that black/white comaraderie, such as what you and I have, and others, too. I do not feel that this is a "black" thing. And why are we labeling it anyway? Don't whites have the same problems? That's the trouble. Everyone wants to blame things that go wrong on someone because of the color of their skin and I just don't understand that. Help me to understand it because I want to more than anything. I think it's a cop out truthfully. He didn't get that job because she was black. Or old. Or a female in a male's world. A big cop out. How about looking at what the person is inside them instead of looking at the color of their skin or what age they are or the fact they are of a certain gender? Why can't we see that whoever in question that is being ostracized is being judged on their abilities and not anything else? This is the part that really riles me up. Someone shoots someone and they all ask who did it and one of them says "A black man." So what? Why does color even enter into it? Why can't they say someone who was mad over the fact the other man stole his girlfriend or something? The facts, stick to the facts. Don't blame anything for the fact that they are black...it's a cop out. Every person born in this country has just as much equality as the next. It's how they use their "abilities" that makes the difference in people. Sorry, Jess, I didn't mean to rant. I just can't stand it when someone (not you, just in general) blames an incidence on the color of someone's skin or anything else that is totally not related to the incidence. As someone who is knowledgable on soul mates, I preach that it doesn't mean crap what their physical appearance is, it's all what's on the inside. I get so mad when a certain race start getting all huffy because one of their own kind gets discriminated, in their own eyes, but what they should look at is what was INSIDE the person on why they were discriminated. Whew...sorry...I just don't get people sometimes.
9:35 AM
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