We Still Have a Dream
Forty years ago today, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was robbed of his life – and this country was robbed of one of the greatest and most inspirational leaders it has ever known. Through non-violence, civil disobedience, community engagement and soaring oratory, King indeed inspired a nation. Forty years later, his ideals still reflect the most sensible, peaceful means of social action.
But are they getting us anywhere? A recent study conducted by CNN, Essence Magazine and Opinion Research Corp found that only a third of Americans (black, white and otherwise) feel the aspirations outlined in King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” have been realized. And 40 years after King’s untimely death, when asked whether his renowned dreams have been realized, I, too, regret to say they haven’t.
Forty years later, this country’s criminal justice system is still flawed in dozens of seemingly invariable ways, implicitly oppressing people of color through racial profiling, unfair sentencing guidelines, unequal prison treatment and more. Forty years later, the events that unfolded at a high school in Jena, Louisiana, shook the nation and made us reevaluate our views on how racial tolerance has – or hasn’t – evolved in America. Forty years later, the NAACP reports, African Americans fare the worst in terms of access to healthcare and housing and numbers living in poverty. And don’t forget that people of color are still at the highest risk of gun violence and of contracting HIV.
Forty years later, there are still innumerous racial disparities to be addressed. On August 28, 1963, King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he spoke the now-familiar words, “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 the same dream Dr. King had, and I am blessed to have the opportunity to work toward the fulfillment of that dream through the RAC’s work on civil rights. In memory of Dr. King, here’s to four more decades of fighting for equality – in the hopes that 40 years from now, when asked whether these goals have been fulfilled, no American will have to hesitate before answering with a resounding “absolutely.”
Forty years later, this country’s criminal justice system is still flawed in dozens of seemingly invariable ways, implicitly oppressing people of color through racial profiling, unfair sentencing guidelines, unequal prison treatment and more. Forty years later, the events that unfolded at a high school in Jena, Louisiana, shook the nation and made us reevaluate our views on how racial tolerance has – or hasn’t – evolved in America. Forty years later, the NAACP reports, African Americans fare the worst in terms of access to healthcare and housing and numbers living in poverty. And don’t forget that people of color are still at the highest risk of gun violence and of contracting HIV.
Forty years later, there are still innumerous racial disparities to be addressed. On August 28, 1963, King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he spoke the now-familiar words, “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 the same dream Dr. King had, and I am blessed to have the opportunity to work toward the fulfillment of that dream through the RAC’s work on civil rights. In memory of Dr. King, here’s to four more decades of fighting for equality – in the hopes that 40 years from now, when asked whether these goals have been fulfilled, no American will have to hesitate before answering with a resounding “absolutely.”