It was this memorable line from his, “I Have A Dream,” speech that caught my attention and pushed me towards a life of going up against injustice of any kind.
“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.”
It was delivered during the March on Washington in 1963 but that speech which called for an end to segregation and discrimination will reach a young girl many years later and it would stop me in my treks as I listened to that voice, a forceful and rhythmic one which came droning out of an open window. I didn’t know what it meant at the time but I knew that it was important whatever it was.
I was far removed from a world of injustice. My world revolved around the fantasy world I had created in my safe childhood space but I would learn as I delved into books that the world was a cruel place and that even children were not “free” from the violence and injustices that segregation and discrimination brought about.
Martin Luther King was a civil rights activist but more than that he was a man of courage. It took courage to stand up against injustice and it still is. People have come a long ways from “Whites Only” places BUT there is still much to be done as we are seeing with the current administration.
“Let freedom ring,” was repeated throughout the speech and the last lines, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” concluded the speech. However, no matter how hopeful it was, discrimination as we all know is not a thing of the past. It is alive and doing well.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” MLK
He wasn’t a tall man but he came out as a giant using just his voice as a powerful tool and his stance of non-violence to get his message across. A one of a kind as far as historical figures go and therefore, my favorite historical figure.
Site Title 