Alexa reminded me on Wednesday morning that it was 56 years ago that Reverend Martin Luther King delivered his masterpiece speech “I have a Dream.” The speech was originally designed as a homage to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and timed to correspond with the centennial of the signing of the Emancipation proclamation. It was interesting to note that President Lincoln took this bold step as an Executive order and Proclamation 95 freed three and a half to four million slaves. A few dates are a reminder of the distance still to be traveled, in 1896- Plessy versus Ferguson ruled that segregation was constitutional under a “separate but equal” assertion. President Truman ended segregation in the US military in 1948. President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights act of 1957 assuring right to vote. President Kennedy was assassinated in November of 1963, a few months after the King speech. Much to the credit of President Lyndon Johnson, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination. Reverend King was assassinated in April of 1968 as the Civil Rights Act in regard to Fair Housing was passed. I have to thank Alexa because her morning message and it’s content made me consider history, the present and the future. We could argue that as a nation we have come a long way. In King’s words, “ I still have a dream, deeply rooted in the American dream—one day this nation will rise up to its creed, ‘we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal.’” Recent events lead me to argue that the American Dream is not yet a reality.
The speech was delivered from the steps of the Lincoln monument to a reported 250,000 people, really the picture proves it, one of many memorable lines echo’s today. “ 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 today.!” It dawns on me that strength of character is historically demonstrated for us by our chosen leader; Presidents like Lincoln, both Roosevelt’s, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson stand out as champions of our vision. I do not want a “character” to focus on our future, someone whose actions do not support their rhetoric or whose words are untrue, mean spirited, self aggrandizing and self serving. I “dream” of a leader(s) with traits like “integrity, honesty, courage, loyalty, fortitude and other important virtues that promote good behavior. By definition, those character traits define who they are as people—and highly influence the choices they make in their lives.”
There are many excellent messages in the litany of character quotes. I chose three to make my point. “The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who cannot fight back.” Abigail Van Buren. Winston Churchill said, “Never does a man portray his character more vividly than when proclaiming the character of another.” Reverend King challenged us all, “The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”
Enjoy the long week end. Mike