Fifty years ago today, Dr Martin Luther King Jr stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and shared with us his dream for our great country. It was a fairly simple dream in that all he wanted was equality for all. He wanted love to rule over hate, and for his own children to live in peace with white families. So simplistic and beautiful, but has his dream been fulfilled?
In part, yes. Under the law, everyone of every race is viewed as equal. My daughter plays mostly with the neighbor kids who are black, and has no concept any difference other than their skin is different colors. There are laws in place designed to give protections to Blacks in order for them to receive equal opportunities.
Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
But racism is not dead. It’s far from it. Hate crimes happen every day against all groups within our society. It’s not just a crime against skin color anymore. And even with the nations first Black President in office, racism is still flourishing in all corners. Progress has been made, as is evident with President Barack Obama, but we still has so far to go.
Fifty years later, Blacks, Hispanics and American Indians have the highest rates of poverty with unequal access to the very things that improve and better an individuals place in society, like education and pay. Inner cities, where minorities are the majority, have the lowest performing and underfunded school systems. This is also where poverty flourishes. Women are still fighting for equal pay to that of their male counterparts, as well as the right to govern over their own bodies. Homosexuals are still fighting for marriage equality, and the same benefits for their families that heterosexual couples receive. Muslims, and people who are mistaken for Muslims, are hated and discriminated against because of the actions of a few.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
There is no finger-pointing here. There is plenty of blame to go around. We all have a share in the progression of equality. A truly free society, in my opinion, is one in which equality is second nature. Everybody has the same access to the important things, such as healthcare and education. Instead of a dark cloud of hatred, a beautiful light of love shines down on everyone.
That may be only a dream, but it’s a dream worth making a reality. Let’s reflect on the last fifty years. All the progress, the steps backward, and the path that lie ahead of us in order to reach that dream. Dr. King’s dream should not go unfulfilled. His words and actions should be remembered for generations to come, and not taken for granted until his dream has been realized.
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
If you wish to read Dr. King’s speech, and I think everyone should today, you can find it HERE at the National Archives. You can also listen to him give his historical speech here in this video:
Writing All Of The Things! 