“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.”
Today is a day to honor the role Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. played in the fight for equal rights in America. The third Monday in the month of January is designated as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - a federal holiday in America.
If there was a defining moment in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, it was his eloquent “I Have A Dream” speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. The crowd was estimated at 250,000 at a time when the U.S. population was close to 190 million. The number of participants would be much larger today if it was proportionate to the current population of nearly 332 million.
Summing up the prevailing message in Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech is the message that America should fulfill its promise of democracy and equality. The idea of judging a person “not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” unfortunately remains a challenge for all America in 2022.
There was hope at the time of the speech in 1963 that the future would support the concept of equality. Perhaps we were naive to the stubborn nature of humanity. Admittedly, much has changed; and we do see greater equality today than we did in 1963 when Dr. King spoke about his dream; but as a young witness to those times, I am saddened by the amount of resistance to equality that lives on in America.
Much of the resistance to equality in America seems rooted in fear. Fear that the gaining of equality by one group means the loss of equality for another group. I have never feared a loss of my equality by the concept of equality for all.
Many politicians have used the fight for or against equality as the cornerstone of their self-righteous desires to be in power. Both sides are guilty of using the debate over equality to attract voters.
It is impossible to think of yourself as a patriotic American if you do not support complete equality. The concept of equality is the foundation upon which this nation was established.
And for those who choose to discredit the message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. because of flaws in his character - it is important to remember that every human has flaws and tolerating or ignoring the indiscretions of one politician is equal to the indiscretions of the politician from your political tribe. How could any supporter of former President Trump judge the indiscretions of Dr. King as being any different from the indiscretions they suggest don’t really matter?
I have a dream, and it’s the same dream I had when I was a young witness to segregation. That dream is the dream of living in a country that not only supports equality - but demands it.
I do not feel threatened by equality - I feel comforted by the idea that I live in a country that recognizes that we are equal.