 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
We will mark the 45th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered in 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
Tonight, 45 years later, Sen. Barack Obama is expected to officially accept the nomination as the Democratic candidate for president of the United States - the first man of color to do so in the history of our country.
The parallels are irresistible.
In Dr. King, we have a man who lived, fought and ultimately died for the day when someone like Obama could mount the stage and accept this historic nomination. It could be argued that, for many in our country, such a moment is a dream come true.
However, we often get so enamored with the dream that we ignore the hard work that must be endured to make any dream a reality.
When Dr. King uttered those now-famous words in which he envisioned a world in which "all of God's children . . . were able to join hands and sing: Free at last! Free at last!," he knew the road ahead would not be an easy one.
In the months leading up to the "I Have A Dream" speech, scores of African Americans were subjected to fire hoses and police dogs as they peacefully protested Southern segregation, Dr. King was arrested in Birmingham, Ala., and civil rights activist Medgar Evers was killed in his driveway in Jackson, Miss.
After the "Dream" speech, four little black girls would be killed in a bombing of their Birmingham church, soul singer Sam Cooke would be arrested in Louisiana for trying to register in a "whites only" hotel, and President John F. Kennedy would be assassinated - all before Christmas of that same year.
Yet Dr. King's work continued, and it endures even today. However, too many languish in a dream state and miss the opportunity to claim the prize that is promised to all of us who have the courage and stamina to do so.
Several months ago (April 4, to be exact), our organization - the Cookman Beloved Community Coalition - organized the city's first Bridge Walk for Peace. More than 400 individuals, from Mayor Nutter to everyday Philadelphians, gathered at Franklin Square Park to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination.
We joined hands in the shadow of the Ben Franklin Bridge at precisely 7:01 p.m. and stood silently for 40 seconds - one second for each year since Dr. King was assassinated - to commemorate the anniversary and recommit ourselves to the work for achieving peace yet ahead.
At the Bridge Walk, we asked individuals to submit their own dreams - either for themselves or for the community we share. We got dozens of entries and have been working with some of these folks to realize their dreams.
Some are as simple as helping a young girl whose family couldn't afford a laptop to get one so she could return to college. Other dreams are more grandiose, such as reducing violence on our streets and taking better care of our community's children.
What surprised us the most was how difficult it has been to get people to take responsibility for their own dreams. While it is fairly easy to write down or articulate a dream, it is far more challenging to commit to the often unglamorous, tedious but necessary work of bringing dreams to fruition.
There are barriers, real and imagined, that can be paralyzing. There are setbacks that can be devastating. There are naysayers and detractors every step of the way.
However, the dream set in motion that sweltering summer day in August 45 years ago began long before a great orator gave it the life we acknowledge today.
It is a dream that burns in the heart of any human being who knows a freedom that seems to exist beyond his grasp. It simply comes down to how far any of us is willing to stretch to attain that dream.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fr
Dec 5
|
Sa
Dec 6 |
Su
Dec 7 |
Mo
Dec 8 |
Tu
Dec 9 |
TOP STORIES
SPORTS
Green
today's poll
express headlines
Promotions
photo GALLERY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
email this
print this
