Happy Birthday Dr. King!

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year's celebration marks not only the birth and legacy of a great American leader but also the beginning of a new era. I watched the inaugural concert yesterday thrown in honor of our new president elect. There were tens of thousands of people at that mall in Washington, all tightly packed together in the cold for a common purpose. It looked very reminiscent of August 23, 1963 when tens of thousands of people stood to hear Dr. King deliver his I Have a Dream speech after the march on Washington.
There are many famous lines from that great speech that are heard year after year in schools during black history month and on TV:

"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 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."

"And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Many Americans never thought they would live to see a Black president. My 88 year old grandmother has been glued to the TV for the last 2 years watching this history unfold before her eyes. I watched as she voted, first in the NC primary and then in the general election from the passenger seat in my mom's car. I watched as the returns came in back in November and those words flashed across the screen announcing Obama's historic win as the 44th president of the United States of America. I saw the tears of joy in her eyes and the pride she felt on her face. How amazing must it be to have lived during the time of Dr. King and to see the first Black president!

A new poll by CNN says that 69% of Blacks feel that MLK's vision has been fulfilled. I do believe that we, as a country, have come a long way since the 60's, but there is much further to go. I still think people are judged by the color of their skin and many still find themselves being treated unequally. But, I also think the hope and fervor that president elect Obama brings has created a shift in the way we view what is possible in America. I sincerely hope that people do not think that all the work has been done and attention no longer has to be paid to inequalities and injustice. Hopefully this historic moment will not be just an emotional high but a catalyst for more change in our society. Yes it will require changes to be made in the government on a national and state level but it will require all of us to change too. It is a great calling that we all have a responsibility to answer to. If each person does something then it will be possible. It's up to everyone to figure out what that "something" will be and I feel privileged to be alive now, witnessing this moment.

What do you all think? Has the dream been fulfilled? Or, is this historic moment just the beginning of a new call for justice and freedom for all in this country?


Here's a clip of Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech: