by Cilff Hallmark
"I Have a Dream"……..But was it the “American
Dream”
It most certainly was…..
"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."
"But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."
"We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."
"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 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."
The I Have a Dream Speech
Martin
Luther King Jr, August 28, 1963
It is so unbelievable, that on the day this Nation celebrates the Man who exalted these words and wanted them to ring out all across this Nation, those who dared to utter them were silenced. Again…..it is also unbelievable that the full text of the speech did not appear in print until 1983.
If there was ever a time to honor his
legacy….it is now. Look at the progress
and achievements that have occurred since this speech. America has fulfilled it’s Promissory Note
and many people have cashed those checks. I do not see a significant number of people
who have benefited, reaching back to give a hand up. Instead I have seen the resurgence of the
N-Word, brought back into our lexicon by gangster rappers in the early 90’s
after this word was almost eradicated from our society. Morals, virtues and non
violence were never rapped about.
Instead I have seen the rise in the Body Count of our Police Officers as
“Cop Killer” and “Fuck the Police” have come to fruition. Straight Outta Compton……and never looked
back.