Dreams that change history: Martin Luther King Jr.

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I have a dream. We’ve all heard the words that are associated with one of the most famous speeches in existence. Every January, we are reminded that on August 28, 1963, for 17 minutes, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to an estimated 250,000 people. For 17 minutes, King expressed his deepest God-given desires to see equality and human rights for African Americans.

On January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, King was born into a world where inequality and infamous Jim Crow laws were a part of daily life. I’m not sure it’s even correct to say that Jim Crow was just a PART of life. For King and other African Americans, Jim Crow was life. Just in case you’ve never heard of Jim Crow laws, I’ll fill you in.

On December 6, 1865, the thirteenth Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery. I’m sure that there was a sense of hope in the air as African Americans saw the potential for a free future. However, fear, ignorance, and stupidity being what they are, someone somewhere found a loophole and decided to create Black Codes.

Before I get to Jim Crow, let me quickly elaborate on Black Codes. According to The History Channel, Black Codes were “restrictive laws designed to limit the freedom of African Americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force.”

In 1896, in the court case Plessy vs Ferguson, the term “Separate but Equal” was introduced, therefore creating the era of Jim Crow. Once again, instead of giving African Americans their rightful access to equality and human rights, they were given years of separation and barbaric treatment.

In the mid-1950s, King, a Baptist minister, started on his journey of leading the Civil Rights Movement. Many moments in his early life led to King becoming an advocate for equality, but one that sticks out in my mind is the Montgomery bus boycott.

After Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white passenger, she was arrested for violating the city’s segregation law. Activists formed the Montgomery Improvement Association to boycott the entire transit system. It was then that King was chosen as the leader.

During his years in the spotlight, King gave many speeches, but of course, the one we all remember is just simply titled the “I Have a Dream” speech.

I have listened to the speech and read the transcript, and let me tell you, it is beautifully written. Stunning adjectives pad the sentences like ornaments on a Christmas tree. Larger words take the place of everyday speech.

“When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men—yes, black men as well as white men—would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The words above are just one stunning example of the words spoken by King that day.

However, when most people write in the same manner in which King created his speech, it’s to make themselves appear smarter. But that wasn’t King’s intention at all. He wrote the way he did because he meant every word. He knew that change needed to take place, and his desire for peace and equality came through in his speech composition.

As King stood before the multitude of people, you could hear the passion and sincerity of what he was saying. A minute or so later, King said, “America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned,” and I cannot help but think that no truer words have been spoken!

In his speech, King didn’t speak those famous words, only referring to one dream. King echoed those words six times, and each time, he spoke of something he hoped would come to pass.

I recently asked three women of color from three different generations what Martin Luther King, Jr. meant to them, and what I got was beautiful and insightful.

“When I think of Martin, I think of a brave young man,” Curtisteen Stanley said. “He was determined to see his people be able to experience abundance and equality. I see him as a man who was a selfless person. He was always thinking about other people, especially his people. He wanted us to be able to go in the front door instead of the back door. He wanted the people of this nation to treat us with kindness and compassion, to treat us the way the Lord wants us to be treated. In spite of having a family and young children, he was willing to put his life on the line for others, and I’ll just say it, for black people all across this nation.”

I then asked Stanley if she remembered where she was when King was assassinated.

“I was living in Chicago with my husband,” Stanley recalled. “There was all kinds of looting and rioting. My husband was out when all of that happened. He got put in jail because they thought he was rioting, but he was just on his way home. He was told to run, but he said, ‘If I run, they’ll shoot me in the back,’ so he stayed where he was, and they arrested him. They took him to jail, and it was days before they let him out.”

LaReina Grundy, who would be considered a Xyennial, was kind enough to talk to me as well.

“Because of what he did and his bravery and leadership, he was able to get people to come together and fight for more than what we had then,” Grundy said thoughtfully. “Because of his legacy, I’m able to sit with my best friend every MLK day. I can eat lunch with her. She’s white, and I’m black, and she’s my longest friend. Because of what he did, we are able to sit down and break bread together and be friends.”

Kenyetta Dodds, who is 18 and a senior in high school was the next person I talked to.

“We’re not segregated anymore because of him,” Dodds said. “We can eat together, go to each other’s houses and be friends. We can go to church together, all because of what Martin did. I feel like it’s such an impactful thing that people forget about. Even though he’s not alive, what he wanted was accomplished. I feel like if he was alive today, he would be proud because we can all be together.”

The impact of King’s words still rings true today. Although his life ended prematurely in a senseless act of violence, his actions and words continue to make an impact. Ask anyone in the African-American community what King means to them, and you will receive honest, passionate answers. While the world isn’t perfect, and there are many things that we all need to work on, the fact is Martin Luther King Jr. changed the world. He made a difference that won’t soon be forgotten.