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The Dream Lives On

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By JACK LEVINE

Published: January 21, 2008

It was late August, 1963. I was 12. I remember my father calling me into his room. The radio was on, and I heard cheering. It was not a baseball game kind of cheer. It seemed louder and longer. It was a sustained roar.

My dad, aged 72 and blind, pointed in the direction of the radio with one hand, and put his other index finger to his lips ... he was telling me to be quiet and to listen.

Next I heard the voice. A combination of speech and chanting. The cadence was like none I ever heard. The word music rose and fell, the power was like a wave, swelling and then resting, soon to rise again.

My father's blind eyes were shining in the window light. He was tearful, his lips pursed, his head gently nodding in agreement, timed to the melody of the voice. Seeing my father so moved gave me the sense that history was being made.

There in that sun-bathed room, I was taken by the sound of that voice, and felt the power of its persuasion. I never saw my father so attentive. All of his energy focused on listening to the words.

"I have a dream that one day my four little children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

"And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. 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.'"

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s monumental speech commanded the attention of not only the half-million who gathered in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln's statue on the Washington Mall, but touched the hearts and minds of a nation to pay attention and take action.

That speech on that sweltering August day ignited a charge of energy that would not be stopped .... not by gushing fire hoses, snarling dogs, enraged threats, bombs or snipers' bullets. At the tender age of 34, that eloquent preacher from Atlanta set in motion a flood of individual and collective actions which would change how people viewed not only our neighbors, but ourselves. The impact of that leader's courage was felt in that tumultuous decade of the 1960s and for generations to come.

The ideals of Dr. King's mission were rooted in his Christian faith; his principles and civil disobedience techniques were borrowed from Gandhi. But no matter what our faith, race, ethnicity, gender or age, the heroic vision of Dr. King is a beacon for us all.

In the 11-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled more than 4 million miles and spoke over 2,500 times, appearing wherever there was injustice to be protested and action to be taken. Martin Luther King Jr. was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. Though his life was cut short at age 39 by an assassin's bullet in April 1968, his legacy lives in anyone who chooses to question those who would hold us captive to old ideas and discriminatory policies.

Has all Dr. King envisioned come to pass? Not yet. Has his legacy brought forth a tremendous surge of change in attitude, law and economic opportunity? Yes. But there's so much still to be accomplished. Justice is not static ... it's active and must be actively asserted and strictly guarded every day.

I have learned that progress is not achieved by intention alone. Strategic advocacy is the only way wrongs can be righted and ideas can be transformed into action. All of our voices and votes are needed.

We have entered what some are calling the most important political year in our lifetimes. With so many elections ahead, including vitally critical ballot initiatives, voter attention and action in 2008 will have implications far into our future.

Please influence and inspire others to be informed and engaged voters. In memory and tribute to those who marched, fought and sacrificed for the rights we hold dear, being responsible citizens is one of our highest callings.

Jack Levine is founder of 4Generations Institute. His e-mail is jack.levine@comcast.net.

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