Sunday, January 16, 2005

All I have to do is dream...

Xan at corrente asks the unanswerable: what might Dr. Martin Luther King have said had he not been assassinated. Poignant question. Here's my feeble take on the question:

"My friends, we stand at a crossroads. This arrogant, illegal war continues to steal the life from young Negro, & White boys. Meanwhile, we have made strides against the institutionalized racism that permeated America just a few years ago. But in this unjust war, where the terrible swift sword of justice seems to be swinging not at our purported enemies but at our young men who fight for a corrupt ideology, there are far too many young Negro men who feel the bullet of the enemy.

So we see that for all the strides we have made, there is still too much injustice in the world. Injustice for our Negro brothers, who still have to give more than they receive; injustice for the poor, who through no fault of their own have slipped between the cracks of society into the quiet Hell of oblivion; injustice for the youth of this country, who yearn to reclaim the purpose and moral authority which made this country the land of the free and the home of the brave.

We have a dream, that the color that divides our races may become just another part of the texture and tapestry of humankind; that the poor among us may not be denied a full measure of human dignity and experience; that our strength as a country may yet be used to further Democracy and freedom and not tyranny against poor people half a world away, and that the greatness of America may be visited upon all its peoples, and not just those who can contribute gold to the campaign chests of politicians.


And so, my fellow Americans, let us work to make us equal, not only in the eyes of the lord but in the eyes of the law; equal in the power of the vote; equal in the rights of education; equal in the hearts and minds of our brothers of all colors and races. For My dream is that America may yet rise above its current bitterness, and reclaim the place that we all so earnestly believe it may deserve, as the home of the free, and not just the brave."


Or something like that.

No comments: