The Dream Lives On - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is a national holiday here in the United States to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King.  As I read about him and listen to his words, I am struck by the fact that he was assassinated at only 39 years old.  I know some pretty amazing people in their thirties, but few have come close to having the impact of Dr. King.  He was gifted and called to speak on behalf of the poor and for the cause of peace.  He was controversial in his stance about the Vietnam War.  He divided public opinion and willingly put himself in the crossfire.  He was a minister and an activist and the spokesperson of the civil rights movement.  He participated in and led protest marches for blacks’ right to vote, desegregation, labor and other basic civil rights.  He won the Nobel Peace Prize for combatting racial inequality through non-violent resistance. 

His “I Have a Dream” speech was not written into the text of what he planned to say on that day in 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.  But the words that came to him in that moment are the words that we all know and remember to this day.  Here’s an excerpt:

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

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.

So today I want to recognize the contribution of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who followed his heart and his calling in order to transform the minds and hearts of people in our country.  May his words continue to resonate.