Friday, August 28, 2009

King's Dream Will Never Totally Come True

CLEVELAND - Racism has always been a major stumbling block for this country, so even though we have made incredible progress to improve, it will never totally evaporate.

So much for that famous dream once shared by a King.

Today marks the 46th anniversary of what came to be known as the 'I Have a Dream' speech given by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in Washington D.C. The lasting theme of that iconic speech was King's revelation of his dream of unity between people of all races and creeds. He articulated his ideals for a homogenized America, not a polarized one and it came during the apex of the Civil Rights movement. His words, so powerful when he delivered them, continues to resonate with Blacks all these decades later. But in spite of the major progress (in certain areas) made by us as a people, our country remains divided along racial lines and will always be that way.

That's the power of ignorance.

True, present day America is guided by a Black president named Barack Obama. His election last year was historical because it placed a black man in the White House as its top resident for the first time in history. But his seven month old administration has seen its fair share of racist threats and taunts and many Americans still harbor ill feelings towards others outside of their own race because of their race.

That is unfortunate.

We still have a long way to go because the destination is so vague. People inherit beliefs and philosophies from their ancestors and pass them on to their progeny. It's a vicious cycle without a conclusion and thus, a sad reality.

We'll never be perfect, so let's just pray for continued progress.

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