On Monday, we commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.
Some will tout his belief in non-violent protest, even though (as with much of his legacy) King was more complex than most paint him on this. Many will repeat his quote of how the “arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Others will recount his belief that only light can drive out darkness, and only love can drive out hate. A number of people will participate in a “day of service” in his memory.
And we will hear countless references to his “I have a dream” speech, some taking the quote(s) out of context.
For that reason, we offer the entire “dream” section here. And in an age of hyper-partisan, “us vs. them” politics that veers dangerously toward violence, we call attention to the last paragraph.
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 down 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 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.
“We will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.”
In America especially, that should be a universal goal.