No More Dreams Deferred

Today, we stop to observe, remember and reflect on the legacy and the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Growing up in Midway, Georgia, my parents imbedded in me the dream that Dr. King spoke of, “one day we will live in a nation where people will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” While we are not quite there as a country, tomorrow’s inauguration of Barak Obama as the 44th President of the United States demonstrates to me that such a day is possible. The remembrances of Dr. King and the hopes for Barak Obama give a new dimension to the possibilities and the realities that my children and their generation will have. Like my parents, the dream of being anything you wanted to be had its limitations. Yes, you could be a doctor, a lawyer, or a famous person. Yes, you could matriculate at institutions of higher learning and ascend to high levels within the social aristocracy; but becoming the President of the United States. Come on, not in my life time.

And this is why Dr. King’s legacy and his work are so important for us to remember today. For before it was plausible, Dr. King had a dream. Dr. King’s vision of a new America defied his present reality (1963 – Jim Crow laws and segregation) and tested our country’s moral character and faith. However, Dr. King understood the wisdom of Solomon, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (NRSV, Proverbs 3:5-6)

“On Meet the Press” yesterday, the political pundit, Tavis Smiley remarked that Barack Obama’s election was “a down payment on Dr. King’s dream.” Maybe it is. However, I believe this moment in history is greater than that. For tomorrow shatters the ceilings that generations fought, died and marched to break through. And while the nerve-endings of our country are still exposed to racism and prejudice, today and tomorrow bring glimpses of a new hope and new possibilities.

Today, we honor Dr. King, Coretta Scott King and all the men and women who sacrificed for the cause of justice, freedom and equality. Tomorrow, the hopes and the dreams of Fredrick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, W.E. B. Dubois, Malcolm X, Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Fred Shuttlesworth, Ella Baker, A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, Hosea Williams, Stockely Carmichael, your parents and your grandparents, my people and millions of people around the world will be actualized.

Today, we pause to remember Dr. King and we eagerly anticipate what tomorrow will bring. But today, we also prepare ourselves to strive for excellence, to sacrifice, to work, to save and to take our turn on the plow to end poverty, racism and sexism and to bring a sense of civility, cooperation and Christian love to this nation and to the world.

Today, my daughters and wife fly to Washington, D.C. to be a part of history. And tomorrow, my daughter, Madison, will witness the first Black person sworn in as President of the United States. For her, as long as she stays in relationship with Jesus Christ and within the will of God, there will be no more dreams deferred. Becoming President of the United States will not seem far-fetched to her; instead it will be her reality.

Hopefully, today marks the end of an era of divisive ideology in this country. And tomorrow, prayerfully we will all experience a glimpse of what Dr. King talked about in 1963, “when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, 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!" (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream Speech,” Washington, D.C., 1963)