CT Mayhem `07 - `08

“I Have A Dream.”

January 20, 2008 at 5:49 pm | In History |

We have no school on this upcoming Monday to honor Martin Luther King Jr.  He was thirty five years old when was the youngest man to receive the Noble Peace Prize.  School’s all across American are being taught about this man and all of the good that he has done.  We first learn about this man when we are still in single digit ages.  He wanted all people to be treated equally.  We know what he did and how he has affected all of our lives.

 When we don’t have school, we figure there is a reason.  We don’t just get school of for random reasons, we have holidays to honor people and certain moments in history.  We get Christmas break to celebrate the birth of Christ, and we get Presidents’ Day to honor all the great presidents in our history.  We have Veterans’ Day off to remember all the men and women that fought in wars for the country.

 I think it is good to have this day off; but not just because there is no school.  We have time to think about what happened on this day, or because of it.  We get to watch all the television specials and programs on Martin Luther King Jr.  All of the morning shows we normally miss, we get to watch and they all feature him.

 Martin Luther King Jr., was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia.  He was a religious man, and strongly believed in God and faith.  He was one to believe every man was created equal.  He was against segregation.  He knew it was wrong for African Americans to have to sit in the back of the bus because of their skin color.  He knew it wasn’t fair to the children to have uneducated teachers because they were a little bit different.  He knew they were all people, black and white, small or big, boy or girl.

 I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, 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 a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with 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.

–Martin Luther King Jr., August 28, 1963, Washington D.C.

King organized multiple rallies, protests, speeches, and marches.  He was a peaceful protester, and believed in never using violence.  Even if someone struck him, he would never fight back. 

On April 4, 1968, he was preparing to lead a protest in Memphis, Tennessee when he was assassinated.