HISTORY
‘I HAVE A DREAM’
Honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Hayley Mattson
“I
say to you today, my friends, so even The last best hope for true racial progress, King though we face the difficulties of today realized, was solidarity: For people to see and and tomorrow, I still have a dream. treat one another as equals, they had to feel the tugs of a bond far stronger than either race or It is a dream deeply rooted in the American politics, and for King, that bond was America. dream. After all, there are two words in the phrase I have a dream that one day this nation will “civil rights,” and King grasped that both are rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, crucial. Civil rights are about the fair and equal ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all participation of all citizens in the American men are created equal.’ community. For those rights to have any power, the bonds of that community must be close-knit I have a dream that one day on the red hills and resilient. of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down “I criticize America because I love her,” King together at the table of brotherhood. said in a speech about the Vietnam War, “and because I want to see her to stand as the moral I have a dream that one day even the state of example of the world.” Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, All American’s alike can learn from King’s exwill be transformed into an oasis of freedom ample. “In the United States of America, every and justice. citizen should have the opportunity to build a better and brighter future. United as one AmerI have a dream that my four little children ican family, we will not rest, and we will never will one day live in a nation where they will not be satisfied until the promise of this great nabe judged by the color of their skin but by the tion is accessible to each American in each new content of their character. generation.” I have a dream today!” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd of thousands at the March on Washington, August 28, 1963. King’s most important work applied America’s Founding ideals to the cause of civil rights.
33, he was pressing the case of civil rights with President John F. Kennedy. At 34, King galvanized the nation with his “I Have a Dream” speech. At 35, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Then at the young age of 39, he was assassinated. King left a legacy of hope and inspiration that continues on today.
Monday, January 17, will mark America’s 37th celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., life. Honoring King with the sacred status of a federal holiday, of which there are only ten, none other named for a 20th-century figure, is a testament The premise and promise of King’s dream is to the unifying power of his legacy. that we don’t need to replace or transform our nation’s shared ideals to make our country a “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so better place. tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace We simply need to live up to them. and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional Martin Luther King Jr. lived an extraordinary love will have the final word.” Martin Luther life and left the nation yearning to do better. At King, Jr.
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