ethics and literature

Dream of a Dream

The immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in “I have a dream” forever bound the promise of our forefathers’ words of equality and God-given rights to the very soul of the United States of America. To endure the horrors and indignities of racial injustice, he spoke about peace, love, equality of man, and rights which are non-excludable in a time when America needed it most. Millions were given their voice through this one man who aimed to show the strength of their bonds through peaceful protest. The dream is now a forgotten dream. Decades later we face new racial tensions in a regressing society where violence contradicts the very message of peaceful protest that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about. Where the peaceful protest of 1963 led to equality and justice, the violent riots of today disregard these wise words and wisdom and offer only fear of violent retribution. In forgetting the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the regression of civil rights and liberties has been embraced at a high cost. In forgetting the dream, we risk ignoring true equality and justice for all.

“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, 1963). One of many dreams Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had, and perhaps the most significant, sought to remind America that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were meant for all and that this was long overdue. The Constitution, through all of its flaws, still gave the reverend this hope. It was hope that after centuries of injustice, of being beaten, murdered, raped, kidnapped, kept from families, denied education, and denied dignity, that the words the founding fathers wrote were more than just words for free white people. These were no ordinary words to the reverend, but a belief as strong as his belief in God.

To set up the importance of his speech, Dr. King wrote:

“In a sense we have 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 ever 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.” (I have a Dream, 1963)

And this is reflected throughout society today in many ways but is still lacking in other ways as seen with the many inconsistencies throughout the justice system in America.

Today we can look back over the last decade and see just how rapidly our society has started to return to the racial strife of decades past. With the popular opinion that the entire system of government is biased against blacks, we have seen a greater sense of civic engagement in the black communities in hopes of rectifying this problem. However, often times the fiery activism is solely targeted against whites, and law enforcement.

From the current issues of today, protests were renewed in a greater sense than they have throughout the previous decade. Many people feel the voice of justice is being ignored and so frustrations have reached an all-time high with the tragic death of George Floyd. Unfortunately, these frustrations have also led to some violent protests in the name of justice, ignoring the warning of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr:

“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.” (I have a Dream, 1963)

These creative words seek to remove any backlash that may be received by stating a movement must match what it seeks. If it seeks peace, justice, and equality, then that movement should reflect this very vision.

The question needs to be asked, why have we fallen so far from progression in equal rights? One thing I am sure of is that we do not have the hate groups the media and some prominent political parties claim. This is not meant to be a political statement advocating either for or against any particular political party, but to point reasoning minds toward understanding why we have regressed. To what end do we allow the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to remain absent in our minds and culture? Does racism exist? Yes, of course it does. Terrible people exist all throughout society. They cause suffering for their own twisted reasons, but we should not stoop to their level of hatred by committing atrocities ourselves. To accept the belief that America has never progressed significantly since the civil rights act is a grievous error.

The extremely violent protests that have occurred for an entire year now have done much to harm the voices which aim to further positive changes in society. Because of this, their slogan is seen by many as disingenuous in contrast with the actions of its group and any other alliances. According to a Pew Research Center Survey:

“A majority of U.S. adults (55%) now express at least some support for the movement, down from 67% in June amid nationwide demonstrations sparked by the death of George Floyd. The share who say they strongly support the movement stands at 29%, down from 38% three months ago.” (Thomas and Horowitz, 2020)

This can be seen as supporting the thought that violence hurts the cause of a movement meant to further equality and justice.

In similarly harrowing times in which police brutality is dealt with, and the views that some have in reaction, the reverend King also reflected on these issues:

“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 storm 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.” (King Jr., I have a Dream)

This relation to current events should speak volumes that in all the suffering and anger, his prior words for peaceful protesting still hold strong.

To further highlight the difference, and similarities of 1963 and today, a Gallop Poll was taken in 1963 prior to “I have a Dream”, which would later vindicate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy of peaceful protesting. “When it came to MLK’s march on Washington, 60 percent had an unfavorable view of the march, stating that they felt it would cause violence and would not accomplish anything,” (The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Revisited). Then, in the following poll after the famous speech, 54% of Americans approved of the Civil Rights Act’s passage (The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Revisited). So, in relation to the peaceful protest of 1963, a positive affect was seen to have been accomplished with love, faith, and dignity during the height of racial tensions. It is no coincidence that this made such a positive impact versus the negative impact we are experiencing today.

Not everything is so simple to understand as people experience problems every day that go unnoticed by others and many injustices are committed. The ethics of the situations people face must be challenged and noticed in order for the minds of today’s youths to turn back from this spiraling cycle of hate we spent decades removing from America.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. invokes religion in his speech because it gives cause to unite under the love of an omnipotent being, whether some are Atheist or of other differing beliefs. He invokes peace because he knows the enemies of freedom seek to use every reason to remove, and keep from, these freedoms from the people that seek them. Though the freedoms we enjoy today were written into our constitution by man, they were given by a higher power— God. We must remember Dr. King’s words, the history of our nation and everything that has been gained and lost in our past. We must continue the dream of unity and peace, consistently striving for it without exclusion of rights at any time for anyone.

The racial tensions of today are revived tensions from long ago, which is not what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of. I have a dream of a dream that once was and pray that it will be again a unifying force for the country. I believe we cannot let his words be in vain and I firmly believe he would be appalled at what is transpiring today.

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America may have a stain on its history, but the founding fathers believed it would correct itself. Martin Luther King Jr. also believed it would correct itself and sought to cash the check they wrote to all Americans. All Americans should share in this unifying dream and keep it alive rather than igniting the flames of hatred and division again. It is imperative that we allow the past to teach us to live in peace and love one another instead of inviting a culture of victimhood to become pervasive in our country. It is only in this way that we can work together to reach a true and consistent change in the justice system and society as a whole. We must recall the dream.

Citations

“I Have a Dream” – Martin Luther King Jr., August 28th, 1963. (Accessed April 22, 2021).

“The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Revisited.” UConn Today, University of Connecticut, 15 July 2014, https://today.uconn.edu/2014/07/the-civil-rights-act-of-1964-revisited/#. (Accessed April 22, 2021).

Thomas, Deja, and Horowitz, Juliana Menasce. “Support for Black Lives Matter Has Decreased since June but Remains Strong among Black Americans.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 22 Oct. 2020, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/16/support-for-black-lives-matter-has-decreased-since-june-but-remains-strong-among-black-americans/. (Accessed April 22, 2021).