Martin Luther King Jr.’s historical speech “I Have a Dream” has been a pivotal moment in history for black America. As a leader of the Civil Rights movement, MLK had a great vision of justice and equality for black men, women, and children that had not been honored by white America. Despite the signing of the Proclamation of Emancipation a hundred years prior to MLK’s speech, black people still lived segregated and in oppression. It was MLK’s brave and courageous stance that empowered black people throughout America to begin the non-violent fight for what should have been done a century prior. His speech was the turning point for the millions of black people at that time, up to 2016 that can be acknowledged for setting the tone for why freedom, justice, and equality should be available for all Americans regardless of race or creed.
The words of MLK continue to resonate with not only black Americans, but Americans of various racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. The unfortunate reality is that there are still flaws in the American system that continues to dishonor a part of the population that has already experienced the worst injustice and suffering. One could certainly say, MLK’s dream has been deferred, as Langston Hughes once commented, based on the ongoing racial inequalities that continue to exist in 2016. Although the blatant racism and segregation of earlier periods is no longer the case, there are still millions of black people that have not seen equitable progress in America. “One hundred years later the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” (Martin Luther King Jr., 1963). That particular excerpt from MLK’s speech is a statement that still expresses the conditions of so many black Americans living in extreme poverty without hope for attaining “The American Dream.” This dream still seems to only be accessible to certain groups. Although black people are no longer barred from entering places and positions that they once were unable to partake in, there remains a fundamental flaw in the system that has not paved an honorable way for MLK’s dream to be fully realized.
“One hundred years later the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land” (Martin Luther King Jr. 1963). The truth about this statement made in 1963 by MLK continues to be the condition of so many black people in America even in the 21st century. One must consider how many of the poorest citizens in America are black. The inner cities are filled with black citizens who live in neighborhoods where desperation continues to exist, where drugs and violence are at every corner. No one is working to help raise these communities. Instead this is the new face of black America. It is highly unlikely that when MLK said these words that he envisioned this type of life for black Americans. This is not true justice or equality. A group of people that came into the country under such oppressive conditions as the slaves had, whose families and heritage was torn apart, who did not have a proper foundation and opportunity set up for them by the U.S. government cannot be expected to become a part of society without sincere guidance and effort. One could assume that MLK had hoped that the government would help assist black people to catch up to a place in society that would allow them to truly experience the American Dream.
MLK mentions that the U.S. government had basically signed a promissory note in the Declaration of Independence to allow all citizens an opportunity “unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” which he was there to cash in on behalf of all black Americans. Despite the admirable fight for seeing this promise through, too many black people in America continue to live destitute without any proof of this reality in their lives. Instead, a large majority of the black population in America remains neglected by the U.S. government and its policy makers. MLK mentions also that America clearly defaulted on this promissory note and had hoped to see justice finally prevail. Although tremendous progress has been made since those days, there is still a large debt owed to black people in America. It was not MLK’s dream to see more black men end up in prison than at a university. The dream was to see his people and all people in America empowered to accomplish anything that they worked to attain.
How can people who came from nothing create a stable future without assistance? While white people in America had hundreds of years of advantage to establish generations of educated families who had secured land and businesses, while black people were robbed of even the simplest rights. How could the black citizens catch up to the white citizen? One could assume that MLK’s intention of the speech was to urge the U.S. government to not only to remove segregation among black and white Americans, but to also help assist black America to try and catch up to the white citizens. That would have been a real dream realized.
It was MLK’s urging the government in his speech that helped remove some of the barriers for black people in America to begin opening doors of opportunity for black people. However, the government fell short of his requests. Instead of taking strong action to “lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood,” the government of America did the bare minimum (Martin Luther King Jr. 1963). The bare minimum created a façade of equality and justice, yet the tools that were needed to properly uplift and make things right were never provided.
Martin Luther King even forewarned America in his speech that the nation will be in for a rude awakening if they proceed to “business as usual,” yet his words went unnoticed. In 2016 the prisons throughout America are filled with black men and women who come from the insolvent cities and neighborhoods where their only option is a life of violence and crime. The vicious cycle of recidivism is just another version of slavery, which once again, black people have become victims of. The broken down education system in black neighborhoods does not provide the opportunity to obtain an education that will help the younger generations to end this cycle of poverty. Instead there is a deep hopelessness that fuels anger among black America that has begun to bubble once again. The new face of the old Civil Rights movement is erupting once again as social justice groups are emerging in various places throughout the nation. The argument for the failure of America in disgracing MLK’s dream is becoming more evident as the world begins to become more informed of America’s disregard for its black citizens.
MLK’s sentiment was shared with other great leaders of the time, such as Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. Malcolm had the same desire to see MLK’s dream come to fruition, however he was much more skeptical in the methodology of how to succeed at this goal. Unlike MLK, Malcolm X preached of gaining this freedom, equality, and justice through any means necessary. He was not opposed to using aggressive methods to fight for this vision. Perhaps if this aggressive position had been used, the American government may have taken the black population more seriously. It is too difficult to ponder on how effective MLK’s leadership was for black America. However, he most definitely brought worldwide attention with a speech that continues to resonate with black America. The millions of black people, along with many other minority groups continue to refer to MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech as a hopeful goal to attain in the United States of America.
The speech has created a framework for other great people like Muhammad Ali to stand courageously against the establishment that chose to ignore and dishonor men like Muhammad Ali. Inspiration from MLK’s speech helped provide a platform for a man like Muhammad Ali to stand up for what he believed, even when it was against government policy. Ali’s decision to be a conscientious objector of the Vietnam War was an incredibly brave act that may not have been possible without the backdrop of MLK’s dream for black America. The passion that MLK presented was felt by other great black men like Muhammad Ali who has heavily impacted black America, forcing white America to begin embracing what MLK preached in his speech. The inspiration if his speech drives millions of American citizens to continue to fight for justice and equality for all people in America.
As the younger generations who organize groups like BlackLivesMatter continue to refer to MLK’s speech, one could consider it the engine that fuels the fight that has not yet been fully realized. There may no longer be signs that state “for whites only” in modern America, but the deeper issues and the important fight for justice continues to be fought by the millions of oppressed Americans. Even though MLK’s dream was not fully realized, the fight to attain his dream continues decades later. It was his words that set precedence for the dialogue of racial justice and equality to even begin to occur.
Unfortunately black people continue to be the most disenfranchised of all the minority groups in America, which clearly confirms any suspicion of a need for the fight to continue. Using the backdrop of great men and great messages like the one presented by MLK in his “I Have a Dream” speech, it is important for Generation Xers and Millennials to be informed of American history and how so many of its citizens have been unfairly treated as a result of skin color and/or gender. Even today there is a severe imbalance in equality that is becoming a large scale issue that can no longer be ignored with the advent of the internet where news travels fast and injustices can no longer go hidden as they once did. Today, when racial profiling occurs and young men like Michael Brown and Tamir Rice are unlawfully gunned down by law enforcement just for appearing suspicious, the news travels quickly across the globe. With more of these stories becoming public knowledge, the fight clearly must continue for a just state that treats all men and women equally as the Constitution has stated. Perhaps future generations will live to see MLK’s dream come to fruition. Until then, simply stated, the dream remains deferred.
Despite the disappointment that he may have felt in how America only provided the bare minimum for black Americans, his words were not useless or in vain. It was his speech that became the starting point for a fight that continues today. Millions and millions of black Americans, along with other Americans, have been inspired to take on the establishment in a way that they had not previously dreamed possible. MLK’s speech provided this dream that millions continue to work hard to realize. Prior to his “I Have a Dream” speech, most black Americans would not have stood up for their rights, assuming their oppressive positions as a hopeless reality. However, it was his expression of this dream that allowed millions of black Americans to begin to realize that they too should be allowed to live the American dream. This dream is not only for white America but for all Americans who believe in the promises made so long ago. MLK’s speech has forever transformed the landscape of America to begin to fix the broken aspects of this great nation.
Works Cited
Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream.” 1963
