The harsh reality of MLK’s grand dream, 52 years later
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Photo by ghostsofdc.org
By Meghan Brown, Staff Writer //
Five decades ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that one day, racism would no longer prevent the people of the world from coming together as one. He had a dream for every race to have equal rights and to not be discriminated in any way. Nothing would exist that could prohibit them from voting, getting a job, or acquiring anything else that is their given right.
It has been 52 years since King gave his historic speech to more than 250,000 people on the hallowed steps of the Lincoln Memorial. 52 years since the entire country was inspired and called upon to stop the discrimination between races. 52 years since the president was asked to change the way the American citizens treated each other. 52 years since the social norms in America were challenged.
We can’t argue that the country has changed a tremendous amount in the last few decades. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 which was promptly followed by the Voting Rights Act in 1965, and the Fair Housing Act in 1968. But is this enough? Have all of these changes and the recent events of the past seven years really brought America closer to King’s dream, or have we actually taken a few steps back?
High Point student Lona Williams said, “We’ve taken a few steps back, considering the cases with Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Most of this can be attributed to ignorance and lack of cultural awareness that can be changed with a little bit of [cultural] education, which is more available than ever, but it just has not.”
A majority of Americans are in agreement. According to a poll taken by Debate.org, 51% of people believe Dr. King’s dream has not been fulfilled yet while 49% believe his dream has been completely fulfilled.
With all of these recent events occurring, I say that we have, in fact, taken a few steps back. Admittedly, many things have changed with voting, buying a house, and getting a job. We even elected an African-American president…TWICE. But is that enough? Several men and women of color have been shot and killed under suspicious circumstances by law enforcement. My own brother fears the worst when walking outside or coming into contact with police. This is especially problematic since they are the very people we, as citizens, are supposed to trust.
So is King’s dream really any closer to becoming a reality now than it was 10, 20 or 30 years ago? With the silent divide of America and evident social issues that are so efficiently swept under the rug of disregard, its hard to think so.
Have we, as a nation, truly progressed to be one and become a more powerful nation, or have we done so much damage that all of this could result in the back story of another civil war?