Next week marks the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s monumental 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington DC.
In his speech, Dr. King reached back to the basic values of Americans, calling on the Nation to honor the promise of “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” made in our Declaration of Independence. He looked forward to the day when segregation evaporated and people of different races could unite together as friends. And he expressed his vision of equality, where a person would be judged by the content of his character rather than his skin color.
Dr. King’s speech electrified the Nation. Within a few years the Civil Rights laws were enacted, ending legal segregation. More importantly, people began to see the ugliness of racism and the atmosphere of the country began to change. For most Americans, hatred and bigotry have been replaced by acceptance and tolerance. Opportunity opened up for minorities and a black man was finally elected president of the U.S. While pockets of bigotry remain in both black and white communities, most Americans share Dr. King’s dream of a color blind society.
The key to understanding Dr. King’s astonishing accomplishment is to understand who Dr. King really was. Dr. King lived his life as a Christian Pastor, committed to Christ and the Biblical way of living. While many called for violent revolution, Dr. King told his followers to take the non violent path and turn the other cheek like Christ did. He understood the power of blessing and not cursing his enemies, and in the end he won many of them over. By following his Christian principles, Dr. King changed the atmosphere of the Nation and won a great victory not only for his people, but for all people.
Sadly, today the lessons of love and tolerance championed by Dr. King seem to have been forgotten. Politicians try to drum up support by creating division. Recently the New York Times has told its reporters to push racial division as a way to defeat Donald Trump in the next election. The accusation of racism has been used so much it has lost all meaning, while real racists, both white and black, are determined to reverse Dr. King’s legacy. Our spiritual atmosphere is becoming toxic, and we are desperately in need of another Christian like Dr. King to change our atmosphere.
Instead of cursing the darkness, as many do, we should follow the path laid out by Christ and followed by Dr. King. Let us bless and not curse our enemies, seeking reconciliation and unity, and winning them over by love.
Let us dream with Dr. King
We can change our atmosphere if we do it God’s way.