I woke up Monday morning at 7:30am, ready to volunteer in memory of the late, great Martin Luther King, Jr. Unfortunately, my sorority wasn't able to because we got there too late and we were turned away, but I'm glad that the opportunity exists and that enough people are willing to come together to serve there community so that things like this CAN fill up. Isn't it kind of a great feeling to know that so many people are willing to wake up early on a day off in order to help others? Makes you feel a bit warmer on these blustery mornings.
But who is Martin Luther King Jr. anyway?
Everyone knows the famous line, "I have a dream..." and maybe they know a little more, "that one day..." but other than that? A word here, a word there, "that all men are created equal" thrown somewhere in the middle, something to do with freedom and equality... Have you ever heard the entire speech? Or even simply read the words he so powerfully spoke. I'm going to guess that most of us haven't. If you're interested, here is a good link to a page that accurately transcribed the entire speech. I suggest you read it. It gives a little background on his life, as well.
His speech was given in 1963. 47 years later... has his dream fully come true? Have we have reached our full potential? Imagine that if one man could motivate so many to follow his lead, what a group our size could do if we found a cause to fight for and really put all of our efforts into it. Think of the possibilities... all our dreams could come true. But I don't know if I have something worth fighting for. Maybe I should think of something. Do you have something you think is worth fighting for?
I used to be somewhat obsessed with this song. I don't know why. I'd play it on repeat over and over again... Maybe you've heard it before? Maybe not. You might not like it... but I thought I'd share. It grows on you. And our star performer of the weekend, MLK Jr., makes a special guest appearance.
- Did you know that he starts off his speech referring to Abraham Lincoln and even saying, "Five score years ago," an imitation of Lincoln's own speech?
- Did you know that he compares the injustices of the African American community to a bounced check?
- Did you know that he has multiple dreams, not just one for his children?
- Did you know he quotes the psuedo-national anthem, "My County 'Tis of Thee"?
"Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood."
"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."
"There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"... we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
"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."
"And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!""
"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."
"There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"... we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
"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."
"And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!""
His speech was given in 1963. 47 years later... has his dream fully come true? Have we have reached our full potential? Imagine that if one man could motivate so many to follow his lead, what a group our size could do if we found a cause to fight for and really put all of our efforts into it. Think of the possibilities... all our dreams could come true. But I don't know if I have something worth fighting for. Maybe I should think of something. Do you have something you think is worth fighting for?
I used to be somewhat obsessed with this song. I don't know why. I'd play it on repeat over and over again... Maybe you've heard it before? Maybe not. You might not like it... but I thought I'd share. It grows on you. And our star performer of the weekend, MLK Jr., makes a special guest appearance.
No comments:
Post a Comment