To Have Lived To See The Dream

An ode to and an emulation of the writings of Martin Luther King.

Martin Luther King: Edward

To Have Lived to See the Dream

 

I had a dream. It was a magnificent dream. It was a dream of unification and of goodwill among men and women of all colors and creeds. I had a dream. It was a dream of freedom from oppression; it was a dream of individuality; it was a dream of perseverance; it was dream prosperity; it was a dream of peace.

As I stand here upon the precipice of an old world and look upon the glorious birth of a new one, I have but to ask�"“Has that dream been realized?” I must ponder and deeply search my soul to find an answer to what was once thought to be a question without one�"“Could that dream ever be realized?”

Dr. King, has that dream come true?

On April 16 of 1963, I found myself confined in the Birmingham Jail. On that day, with nothing more than scrap pieces of paper and napkins I pondered upon the folly, of not only the ways of my brothers and my sisters, but of world in its absolute and total entirety. I wrote, “Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds,” (McQuade et al., 1999, p. 2484). With great reflection, I have pondered these words as I look out amongst this new strange world before me. Still, this very day, my eyes fall upon strangers behind the golden borders of our beloved nation.

I do see my Negro brothers and sisters working and living side by side with whites, Mexicans, Asians, and people of every race, color, and creed across God’s green Earth. Yet, I also see my brothers and sisters killing one another; I see my brothers and sisters perpetuating the stereotypes and the labels that have kept them bound since their father’s fathers worked the plantations and bowed to their masters; I see my brothers and my sisters passing on opportunities to take hold of their destinies and build a brave new world; I see my brothers and my sisters consumed by the same hatred that has kept them oppressed for their entire lives.

Parts of my beloved dream have come to fruition and parts of that dream have yet to be realized. When I speak words like brothers and sisters, I do not mean only those with skin like my own, but rather I speak of those whose heart beats as mine does; I speak of those whose soul burns with the same flame of righteousness and fueled by the almighty God himself calling to each and every one of his children. These are the brothers, and these are the sisters that I so passionately speak of.

From each and every corner of the world, I see examples of these siblings fighting and struggling to keep this dream alive. As I wrote, “We know through painful experiences that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” (McQuade et al., 1999, p. 2486). It has been nearly 43 years since the Lord himself called me home and our demands have yet to be met.

What more can be done Dr. King?

I am not a blind man and with these eyes, I have bore witness to the progress that has been made by this great nation of ours. I have seen men and women of all races, creeds, and colors engaged in the holy bonds of matrimony. They look into one another’s eyes and see only that which lies within one another�"but hatred still thrives.

With these eyes, I have witnessed a man of color voted in as President of the United States of America, voted in by Negros, Asians, Mexicans, and whites�"a man of color voted into the presidential office by whites. Yet, hatred still thrives.

The fight I began all those years ago was not just about equal rights for people of color; the fight I fought was not just about oppression; the fight I fought was not about intolerance by whites; the fight I fought was not about racism or discrimination; the fight I fought was about the abolishment of the hatred of our fellow man and woman and the ability for all people to escape from the umbrella of the oppression caused by that hatred.

As I sat in Birmingham, I recall thinking how, “this movement was made up of people who have lost faith in America, who have absolutely repudiated Christianity, and who have concluded that the white man is an incorrigible ‘devil’,” (McQuade et al., 1999, p. 2489). With deep reflection and contemplation, I am forced to ask whether or not this is the same world that I now see before me. “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever,” whether it is upon the soil beneath our feet or in lands we have never seen, oppressed people will not remain oppressed (McQuade et al., 1999, p. 2489).

When I ask of myself, “What more can be done,” I realize that in my time I have done all that I was capable or able to achieve. The dream is no longer mine, but instead it is a legacy which I have passed on to each and every man, woman, and child upon God’s glorious Earth.  No longer can this simply be a dream waiting to be realized, but instead it must become a realization ready to be accepted. In order to eradicate the hatred that has crippled humanity since their inception we must find that which lives within us and connects us and in turn no longer judge another by what we see with your eyes, only what we can accept with our hearts.

In closing, I reiterate what I once wrote, “If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me,” (McQuade et al., 1999, p. 2493).

 

Author's Note

For a literature course at University of Phoenix I was tasked with emulating the writings of one of the authors we were working with. I have always found myself very impressed with "Letters from a Birmingham Jail" by Dr. King. In homage to him I wrote this piece. Is the voice convincing? Does the style match?