A dream deferred?

I have taught American literature and have taken what Frederick Douglass says in his biography and connected it to literature written before King's speech and after (Twain, Hughes, & Wright). Often I ask the students to write from King's and Douglass's perspectives, letters to today's activists and social leaders, or those perceived to be leaders. The reason I have them do this is because I see the dream of a man, for equality, trashed by those who physically stood by him and those who proclaim they have the best of intentions for those who were and are discriminated against, whether based upon gender, people of color, or the disabled. King's speech can be applied to all. It is not my desire to speak only of people who proclaim to be leaders of the African American community, but to apply this speech to all of us--elected officials, and everyday citizens.

I want to look at some excerpts and wonder aloud, like I have with my students, "Is this turning out to be a dream deferred?" Yes, there have been strides made to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to education, decent housing, and employment. Is the playing field equal for everyone? No. Is it right? No. As long as people follow their human tendencies for service of self, mocking difference, and not allowing themselves to understand others, inequalities will exist no matter the race, gender, or physical handicap. What we can do as individuals, though, is try to challenge ourselves to not fall into pitfalls that cause us to ignore God's creation. Afterall, Galatians 3:28 states, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

“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.”

Have we, as a nation, claimed payment on this promissory note? I think King's generation did, but sadly my generation and the generation after mine have regressed. Social division plagues this nation to the point that people don't listen to each other's ideas.

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”

How sad that our country continues to drink this combination. It is hemlock to a nation's will. This is why we cannot stomach the hard tasks. If we have so much fighting within the "family," how can we see the realities of our enemies? If we are not looking out for one another, how will we be prepared to meet our nation's challenges?

“We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

Have those that lead in the name of the downtrodden and the neglected remembered these words? I see manipulation, conceit, and a lack of true "soul force." This applies to all areas of our society: officials looking for trips, meals, and deals that earn then cash to stash in their freezers, teachers who can’t keep their hands to themselves, people who physically harm others because of race or other differences.

While King's words were written because of the racial divide that defined our country for a great portion of its early history, these words can still be applied to our society as a whole. I watch the news and see divisions across all aspects of our society, whether they be racial, faith-based, socio-economic, based on physical appearance--you name it. If there is a difference, there is a division. It seems to have a strangle hold on our country that I have never seen before. Maybe it is because I'm full-on into adulthood. It saddens me, though.

I can't speak about my faith without it being degraded, people look at my physical appearance and use that to decide whether or not I am worthy of a job or a spot in their lives, people look at my skin color and assume I am racist, do not have any friends of color, and do not wish to see the betterment of urban areas.

Somehow I think King's well-intended and idealistic dream has in some ways come true, but we as a nation are not seeking to fulfill it anymore. Education is seen as a joke, mere overpaid babysitting, when it could be the key to a future as a dignified and productive member of society. People write others off as not worth the time and effort. Not only do we destroy precious unborn lives, but also the lives of those that walk the earth. How many people that could have been true leaders in this society have gone by the wayside because the dream did not exist for them?

We are at a real crossroads in our society. We can continue to hate and be divided by differences, or we can choose to open our eyes and our minds and follow through on a dream that could only cause our country to gain strength and a moral compass.