Dear Editor,
This week, we celebrate the contributions Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made to redirect the minds, hearts and souls of all Americans to live up to the ideals upon which America was founded. He forced us to look at our nation and led us to realize that all Americans are children of God and hence brothers and sisters.
It was through gentle, prayerful public demonstrations and the courage of Dr. King that America saw itself in the mirror and concluded, in some ways, it was ugly. The Reverend Dr. King knew that through peaceful means Americans who cherish their God-given freedoms will destroy themselves if they fail to recognize those freedoms apply to all Americans.
He said, in part:
“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 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 that one day every valley shall be exalted … and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together ….
… this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning:
‘My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing…
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!’
… when this happens …. 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!’”
Especially during this week, we should consider whether or not we are moving in the direction Dr. King advised us to go, the direction provided by Declaration of Independence and our Constitution or are we once again becoming lost in the weeds of divisiveness.
During this week, when we the people, in the manner expressed in the Constitution of the United States of America, have voted for change, we must, more than ever, be reminded that we are of many one nation. Let us be strong and have the courage to live the ideals expressed so beautifully by Dr. King.
