Tag: I have a dream

Content of Their Character

Manifestos.
Diatribes.
Name calling.
Finger pointing.
He said.
She said.
Deafening gunfire.
Even more deafening silence.
Body slams.
Twisted truth.
Outright lies.
With all this and more, I have found myself thinking about Dr. King’s I Have A Dream speech which he gave standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC in August, 1963. Or, was it yesterday?

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 … I have a dream that one day 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.

Of course there is more to that speech and that moment and that dream. But, the phrase that has been demanding my attention is this: the content of their character. Little black boys and little black girls still long to be judged on the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. As do little Asian girls and little Middle Eastern boys and grown Guatemalan women and grown Mexican men.

But what about you and me?
Those of us who don’t have to wait for some dreamed about tomorrow, but have the privilege of being judged today not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character.
You and me judged.
And President Trump judged.
And Senator Schumer judged.
And Senator McConnell judged.
And the parents who shielded their child’s body with their own when the gunfire erupted judged.
And the person who posts derogatory comments on social media judged.
And the person who delivers a meal to someone who is homebound judged.
And the person who judges another by the color of another’s skin judged.
And the person who steps between the abuser and the abused judged.
And the grandparent who cares for her or his grandchildren judged.
And…
And…
And…
In the end judged not by position or wealth or where you live or the car you drive, but by what matters most when everything else is stripped away. The content of your character.

Remembering His Birthday

His birthday was yesterday.
He would have been 85.
And, on Monday, we celebrate the day set aside to honor him.
Since his death in 1968, we have lionized him and rightly so.
His wisdom and words continue to move us and to inspire us.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only the light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

‘I have a dream…”

And while we remember and cherish and hold onto his words, we must also remember how controversial and challenging he was, and how much, when he was alive, some feared and hated him. The Civil Rights Movement was not merely about the words he spoke, but it was about police dogs and fire hoses and bombings and lynchings. It was about taunts and threats and secret FBI investigations. He was assassinated not so much because of what he said, but because of what he was doing and what he stood for. And others who stood with him were also killed or injured or jailed or lost their jobs. And, when he spoke out against the Vietnam War in a sermon at Riverside Church in New York City, he was vilified for his remarks.

I am mindful of this today because, in death, we have tamed Martin Luther King, Jr.
And, if he were alive today I think he would be anything, but tame.
At least that is my hope.
I hope he would be finding some way to turn us around and point us in the direction of peace.
I hope he would be chiding and coaxing and encouraging us to hang on for dear life as we do what we can to bend that long arc of history in the direction of justice.

That is the Martin Luther King, Jr. I want to remember.
The Martin Luther King, Jr., I believe, we need to remember.

Still Dreaming

Today, tens of thousands of people are gathering in Washington, D.C. and in cities and towns across our nation to rally for comprehensive and meaningful immigration reform. I have been asked to give the Invocation at one of the rallies which is taking place in a neighboring community. As I thought about what I might say to those who are gathered who come from multiple backgrounds and many countries, this is what I wrote:

Today is a day for dreaming.
And for Dreamers.
And maybe even for dreams come true.
So, maybe today is also a day to borrow the words of another.
Powerful words first spoken long ago, but meant, also, for a moment like this and a day like today. So, let us begin with this…

I have a dream.
I have a dream of the day when individuals and families will no longer have to live in the shadows or to live in fear. I have a dream.

I have a dream of the day when all our children will have the freedom to pursue all the educational opportunities to which they aspire. I have a dream today.

I have a dream of the day when those who work hard and who spend their time and energy to pursue the American dream will live as full and welcomed members of our communities and our country. I have a dream.

I have a dream that one day we will all learn to live together as neighbors and not as strangers with each of us and all of us doing our part to make our families stronger and our neighborhoods safer and our country better.

I have a dream today.

The Work Is Not Yet Done

Last night I attended the 35th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Banquet organized and hosted by the local black Baptist congregation. I am deeply grateful for their continued witness to me and to our community.

It was 50 years ago that Dr. King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and gave his I Have A Dream speech.

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 in the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering in the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
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.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day in the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.

We have come a long way since 1963.
Last night I sat a a dinner table with neighbors – black and white together.
The local legislator, who is white, presented an official proclamation to the pastor who is African-American.
All stood together and sang Lift Every Voice and Sing.
50 years ago that would have been nearly impossible.
Not just in Alabama or Mississippi, but in Bedford, NY, as well.
We have come a long way…
But, we still have a long way to go.

Last night I was reminded again and inspired again to be driven by a dream.
A dream eloquently articulated 50 years ago by Dr. King, but a dream of equality and justice and peace that is as old as humankind.
Now, it is my turn…
And your turn…
To find our own, often faltering words, to give voice to that dream;
And then, not just to say the words, but to do our best to live them in whatever way we are able, and in whatever place we find ourselves.

Silence is not an option.
I have a dream today.

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Several things I believe: