As I sit here reflecting upon another Martin Luther King day I have mixed emotions. The first emotion is grateful for his legacy that carries on within most people's lives from day to day. My second emotion would be sadness because the dream that Martin Luther King had is starting to become a nightmare within America. I sit here wondering am I really fulfilling the dream that he spoke about in 1963 during his Civil Rights Speech in Washington, DC?
As we prepare for our President Barack Obama to leave office as we inaugurate our future President Donald Trump, there seems to be much fear and uncertainty. There are a lot of questions and there are a lot of the unknown circumstances awaiting as time continues to speed past us. The question that I have for my readers is do you feel as if there is such a thing as the American Dream? If you ask me what that answer is I would say no.
Everyone has their own perception and illusion of what they feel the American Dream really is. Some believe it's having a nice job, home, and car. Some probably feel that starting a family and being able to provide for them is the American Dream. Different strokes for different folks I guess, but when I really think about it there needs to be more work done to fulfill the dream Martin Luther King had for this country. I wonder if the Dream was more hope based or was it what Martin Luther King truly believed in his heart.
54 years later we have had a half African and Caucasian President with an African American First Lady! I have to say that this probably made former slave owners role over in their graves let alone made ones who didn't believe start to believe again. But even after all of these great moments we've had there still was tragedy that took place within the years of Obama's presidency. Honestly I would rather not run down that long list, but we all know and feel racial tension is at an all time high and there is tension between everyone more than ever.
"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
If this dream was something that Martin Luther King felt compelled to say on the capital then that only means that it was meant more than just a day off from work. When we have such profound visions and dreams this means God is telling us to meet him in the middle to work for what he wants you to bring to pass. Martin Luther King's dream was so big that it wasn't just for him to work at alone. It was for all of us to come together as one to work for. God just so happened to choose Martin Luther King to bring forth to the public what that exact dream was.
I start to ask myself am I upholding the part of he dream I'm supposed to be working towards? Am I content with how America is today and would rather not even bother? As I get older I start to realize that the dream that Martin Luther King had for all of us is not a joke and it is not something that will fall in our laps. We have to work in order to make this dream come true, just like with any other dream that we have for ourselves. Today I can only hope that I am not only fulfilling my dreams, but fulfilling the ones that the former civil rights leaders marched for.
Fun fact: My son Legend was born on August 28th the same date Martin Luther King gave his now famous I have a dream Speech.
Check out the link below for the full I have a dream Speech......
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