NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
I'll admit it, I'm always the last to appreciate the true reasons for national holidays. As long as I don't gotta go to work, I'm happy, but on Monday our country celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King day, who was a pioneer for civil rights in the United States.

I think that once in every American's life, and perhaps every global citizen as well, you might want to read his famous "I have a dream" speach reguardless of your views on racial inequality or Dr. King.



Written by:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.



Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves, who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It cam as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.



But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.



And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense, we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. 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."



It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.



We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.



It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.



There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.



But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: in the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. 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.



The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.



There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.



I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.



Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.



Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends: so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American 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.



I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.



I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.



I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.



I have a dream today!



I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.



I have a dream today!



I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.



This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.



With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.



This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!" And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.



And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that.

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from hill and molehill of Mississippi, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!



And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."










Teach tolerance. smile

EDITED_BY: NYC (1105666226)

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Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


CassandraFroggie ... Ribbit !!!
4,224 posts
Location: Back in Paris... for now !


Posted:
thank you NYC smileShine oncassandra

"I want brown bread... no, that is diesel oil..."
"So I was raised in Europe, where History comes from ..."
"NON !!! La Plume de mon oncle n est pas Bingibangibungi !!!"


Bendymember
750 posts
Location: Adelaide, SA, Australia


Posted:
And to think, we have holidays for horse races...thanks NYC. I have wanted to read that for a while, but that was the first time. I get shivers every time I hear that last line said.

Courage is the man who can stop after only one peanut


Marlboromember
180 posts
Location: St.Annes, Lancashire, England


Posted:
Cheers NYCHe was a great ambassidor for humanity, I think everyone can learn something from his speech.M:-)~

We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.


Pele'sWhippingBoymember
442 posts
Location: Rochester, NY, USA


Posted:
Thanks for posting that. I had never read it before and I'm glad I did.It's very powerful. He was quite the speaker.------------------"Those who can, do. Those who can't, critique"Pyromorph - Let the fire change you

FYI: I am not Pele. If you wish to reply to me and use a short version of my name, use: PWB.

English? Who needs that? I'm never going to England. - Homer Jay Simpson


Maximusmember
250 posts
Location: Upland, CA., USA


Posted:
Thank you, NYC.The greater community of firedancers in my area includes asians, blacks, latinos, polynesians, a Sikh, whites, men, women, and a few pierced tattooed freaks I don't know what they are.Our common interest has brought us together. We bonded quickly as a group, sharing mutual concern over fire safety. We support and encourage each other, eager to impress our peers, taking time to help novices, and ready to enjoy the hard work of others. A better family I couldn't have dreamed of.Maximus

Dru Lee Parsecmember
78 posts
Location: Santee California, USA


Posted:
quote:
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
If that line alone doesn't sum up the best way to save this world then I don't know what does.

For a good Prime, call:29819592777931214269172453467810429868925511217482600306406141434158089


poiaholic22member
531 posts

Posted:
I never read this speech until a couple days ago.Anyway with MLK day coming up I thought this should get bumped back up to the forefront.If only we could all be as envisionary as Dr. King.


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
Two years later.... bumping this up cuz it's important. At least to me. smile



The old link to his speech is bad...



*Dead link here too*



Happy Martin Luther King Day.



peace
EDITED_BY: NYC (1168832509)

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
If you ever get the chance to hear a recording of it, really sit and listen. It sends shivers all over me. Not only are thw words written eloquently with point and passion, his voice is so filled with conviction that it stops me everytime I hear it.

And I would like to add to parents out there, please take the time to remind the children why they are out of school. Because racial issues are such a tender topic, I feel that this holiday is simply not explained well in the schools.

Kindest regards to all,
Pele

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


bluecatgeek, level 1
5,300 posts
Location: everywhere


Posted:
i would make this a world 'day of reflection' if i could....



R hug

Holistic Spinner (I hope)


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
Hey, keep your GWB talk off of my happy thread. biggrin

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


bluecatgeek, level 1
5,300 posts
Location: everywhere


Posted:
what?

going crazy in your old age NYC?

wink

Holistic Spinner (I hope)


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
No silly... Pele removed it....



***BUMP*** as this Monday we in the US pause again to celebrate Martin Luther King day.



The links keep going bad so I'll just post the text above. It's an appropriate use of bandwith I'd think. biggrin



Can one of the wonderful Mods move this to Discussion? I'd hate to have it trampled here in Chat.


EDITED_BY: NYC (1105666310)

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
*****Another Annual Bump*****

This time with you tube link.

Let Freedom Ring.

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
Wanna hear something funny? We have a wicked ice storm going on here, and what schools don't observe the holiday (private schools) were cancelled anyway. Kids are seeing this as more of a "snow day" than observance day.



I have 3 tweens in my living room playing video games right now who seem to have forgotten when I ask. So, I reminded them..much to their annoyance, by asking them lots of questions. wink lol

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK



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