On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech that would become one of the most iconic and well-respected discourses in American history. It happened on a warm summer day as the Reverend stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and addressed more than 250,000 civil rights supporters.
The event was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful demonstration that was remembered by most people as the day they first heard King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. During his talk, King shared his beautiful dreams of equality, liberty and brotherhood for every person. He spoke about his hopes that someday all people could sit down together harmoniously, regardless of their race. His ambition was that human beings would be judged by their deeds and personal character, not by their skin color. You can read the complete message of freedom he delivered to the nation here.
Martin Luther King Jr. realized that at the time of his speech, America was not yet the land he dreamed about. He refused to let this stop or even discourage him, and he urged others to share his vision. Many did, and the massive but peaceful demonstration that so many people were a part of that day strengthened King’s faith.
It’s been more than four decades since King offered those words of peace, and so much has changed. Tragically, King would not live to see many of the developments he so desired for his country. A little less than five years after his famous address, he was assassinated while preparing to lead a protest march in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did see some of his dreams come true, but the battle for equality and freedom raged on.
People still debate about whether or not King’s vision has become a reality today. Many claim that the election of President Barack Obama represents the full realization of King’s message, but perhaps the very fact that the subject is brought up so often shows us that we’re not quite there yet. We’ve made a lot of progress as a country, but there is always more room to dream.
Dr. King’s goal was that every person could enjoy the same freedoms and rights, no matter where they lived in the United States. So what can we do to share in his dream? All we have to do is believe. Believe in those words, believe in humanity and, most importantly, believe in each other. We may not look, sound or even act alike, but in the end we are all the same. In the end, we are just people sharing this planet while on the journey of our lives.
At PeopleFinders, we believe in people. The color of a person’s skin is not important. Where they were born is not important. Their race, ethnicity and ancestry are not important. What is important is their character. The way each person treats their fellow human beings, the choices we make every day, how we all work together and share our lives; those are the important things. Dr. King believed that one day his vision would come true. He shared his dream with the world in 1963, and though he is no longer with us, we can all share that dream with each other today.
On the 26th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, we celebrate his message. Follow your dreams as we travel through our lives together, and thank you for reading the PeopleFinders.com People Search blog.
Tags: Civil Rights, Dream Speech, I Have A Dream, I Have A Dream Speech, King's Dream, Martin Luther King Jr.
