"I Have a Dream"

"I Have a Dream"January 18th, 2010

Today commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King, a charismatic speaker who led the fight for racial equality and an end to discrimination in America.  In 1964, he became the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  He led civil rights marches and protests throughout the Southern States, which staunchly clung to their outdated and repulsive Confederacy mentality.

But it's Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC in front of 200,000 people, that will forever define his legacy.  It was named the top speech of the 20th century in a 1999 poll of scholars.

Here are a few excerpts that are worth revisiting:

"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 my four 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 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 a table of brotherhood."

So on this chilly Monday in January, take time to reflect on the inhumanity that once pervaded our land.  And be relieved that, for the most part, that injustice has been rectified.  Thanks, Dr. King.

- Mountain Man and City Girl

http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ  http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com