He Had A Dream
“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.” Martin Luther King.
Martin Luther King was a hero. He became the American face of the civil rights cause in the 1960’s. He had a dream. He dreamed about fraternity, justice, equality and freedom. He dreamed about the end of racial discrimination. He dreamed that one day African-Americans would find happiness. He hoped that one day African-Americans wouldn’t live in poverty anymore. Using non-violent methods of protest, he fought for the civil rights of the American people who were discriminated against in order that there would be union in his country.
His best-known speech was “I Have a Dream”. He delivered it from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, in front of 250,000 people, both black and white. In his speech, Martin Luther King called for an end to racism in the United States. He began the speech reminding his audience of the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln 100 years before. He regretted that despite the end of slavery, the African-Americans were still not free. Martin, along with his many supporters, wanted to change things urgently. King hoped to achieve equality through non-violent methods. He knew that violence only led to an endless cycle of fighting, unnecessary death, and cruelty.
Has his dream come true? We seem to be very far from King’s dream today. Because we still face racial discrimination. However, not even Martin Luther King, with his vast optimism, imagined how quickly great strides would be made. For example, nowadays the African-Americans share all public spaces. They go to the same places as white people. They study in universities. Many of them have good jobs. They appear in the media. They have become actors, politicians, CEOs. The president of the USA is African-American.
Martin Luther King’s dream was that people would ‘be judged not by the color of their skin, but by their character’; that segregation would end; and that all men, women, and children could live as free human beings. His dream has come true to some extent, because we know that there is still race discrimination everywhere. But it is no longer the evil it used to be centuries ago. Race discrimination is not just an American issue. It exists everywhere. However, as we’ve learnt from Martin Luther King, we can fight for justice anywhere. We must be the change we want to see in the world.
Ivana Colicchioo