Martin Luther King, Jr. day holds special meaning every year, but this year it’s extra special because tomorrow we will officially inaugurate Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America.
Has Dr. King’s dream been fulfilled? That’s the real question of this moment.
Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that change one day would come. Back on August 28, 1963 when he gave the historic I Have A Dream Speech, we never fathomed that 45 years later we would vote into the highest office of the land, an African American President.
Martin Luther King’s words:
In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
When the press asks the question, “What does this moment mean for you,?” many answer the same: “I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime.” (your’s truly included) Ironically, Bobby Kennedy knew this day would come:
Wherever Barack Obama is, nomatter if its helping in a soup kitchen, or today, when he was painting a wall at an at-risk youth center, we see diversity. This man drew a crowd of 250,000 people in Germany. Germany—they can’t vote in our election, but when they found out he was coming they flocked. When he went to Oregon (photo below) 70,000 Black, White, Latino, Asian, Indian, Muslim – people were all united for one purpose – The Audacity of HOPE!
Read more of the words of Martin Luther King, Jr:
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
The answer to this question is a resounding YES. The dream has been partially fulfilled, Change has come to America! We do have much more work to do in the form of race relations, but I believe it’s on the way.
The President & First Lady
As we fight two wars and struggle daily with pressures of a failing economy, Barack Obama will show us through his leadership that innovation is more important than convention. As a Nation we will become aware of what is outdated in our lives as we strive to find new perspectives and new ways of doing things. The class distinctions, unstructured and chaotic order which was once Washington will be replaced with hope and inspiration as we strive to free ourselves from the restrictions, inhibitions, and limitations that have felt constraining rather than safe.
The days of looking to a leader to FIX all our problems will give way to people going back to the basics of working and helping eachother with more of a direct connection to Spirit. Remember when life was simple? I believe this is where Barack Obama will take us as a nation. Our souls are being re-awakened. Can’t you feel it? It’s our time!
We have Dr. King and those who fought alongside him to thank for this moment. If he had not had a dream it never could have been fulfilled and for that we are grateful. As long as we don’t become complacent and sit back waiting on Obama to do it all by himself, we will get there.
HOPE – CONNECTION AND UNITY!
It’s time that we all roll up our sleeves and help our new President get this country back to where it needs to be.
What part will you play in the dream?
3 Comments
January 19, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Ms. Phyllis, this is beautiful. I like what you said about looking to a leader to fix our problems. I tell my friends that we can’t expect Obama to be sworn in on Tuesday and everything is fixed on Wednesday. People need to wake up and realize this is a new beginning and the struggle isn’t over by any means. I believe Dr. King’s dream has been fulfilled but we still have a long way to go before we get to the mountain top because there will always be racial discrimination. Obama’s win is the bottom rung of the ladder. Now we have to climb. Black people must start with us. We have to clean up our own neighborhoods and stop living like the man has oppressed us. We have a brother in the white house. It’s time to show more pride.
Thanks for posting this. I will share it with everyone I know.
January 25, 2009 at 12:13 pm
You’ve done it again Phyllis! Beautiful sentiment and very true. I agree about the partial fulfillment of Dr. King’s dream. When a young black man can be killed without resisting arrest in an Okaland train station, the total dream has not been fulfilled. When we look at the diveristy created during the election and swearing in of our first Black President, I think Dr. King would be elevated to another level.
Much work is needed but I do believe in time race relations will improve. Great post.
January 25, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I don’t! Racism will never go away. Obama’s suit at the inauguration was bullet proof. Have we ever heard that for any other President? While there is heightened adolation because of a new beginning for America we have racists in our own neighborhoods who hate the fact a black man is living at 1600 Pennsylvanis Avenue.