On Monday, we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – remembering the contributions of the civil rights leader. In his most famous speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., King spoke of his dream – a dream of racial equality. He spoke at a time when African Americans suffered indignities such as being refused service in restaurants, being forced to ride in the back of public buses, to drink from black only water fountains, and much more. While our country has made great strides in the areas of race relations and racial equality, few can deny that racism still exist – in some areas of the country more than others.
It’s fitting around this time of year to reflect on MLK’s life and work. One question that we often ask is whether or not his dream has been realized. Have we come far enough? Have the barriers to racial equality been torn down sufficiently enough? If King was alive today (he would be 83-years-old this year), would he be satisfied with the progress that has been made? Has King’s dream been realized?
Is it important that we set aside a day to remember the work of Dr. King? What is the best way to commemorate his life? As students, as a school, should we be doing something to remember King and educate the youth of today about his impact on our nation's history?
What do you think? Avoid simple answers. Give me real thought. Read the comments of those posting before you. Come back after you post, and continue to keep up with additional posts until the deadline. I want a real conversation. Invite your parents to read the blog, and they can even comment. Enjoy!
Note: I'm including King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306
(32-minute film that we watched in class)
The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 from Marc Altshuler - Human Music on Vimeo.
Important: Be sure to check back daily as I will be posing new questions and thoughts in the comments section.
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16 comments:
In my opinion, MLK's dream has been realized. Thats why African Americans and whites can go to school together, do everything together, and get along together. There is still a few people in this world, that still dislike African Americans. If MLK was still alive today, I think he would be proud of the progress he has made, because it is better than before, because now African Americans don't get beat up and now everybody has equal rights no matter what their color is and is treated the same. Yes, it is important that we set aside a day of work to remeber MLK, because if MLK wouldn't have stopped African Americans from being treated unfair, then most likely it would still be happening today. We should commemorate his life by sitting down and understanding that he changed our nation, if it wasn't for him there would still be African Americans losing their family members everyday, because the white folks would beat them up for no reason, when we was all the SAME. Yes, we should be doing something and we do need to educate the youth about MLK's big impact on the nation so they can understand how the African Americans used to be treated and know that they should be glad that MLK changed that because if he didn't it would still be happening today.
I think his dream has been realized, but we can still do more to make it equal. He made it clear that he wanted his kids to get the same good education as the white kids. Today we all go to the same school regardless of race. I think that we made things equal as much as we could. The government did what they could to stop discrimination, but American citizens have to do their part. There are still a few people out there who are racists, and thats something none of us want to be. Its up to the people to change their ways. I think that the government did their part to realize his dream, and now the people have to do theirs by stoping racism.
I agree with Donovan, and in my opinion, MLK's dream has been partially realized. There are still people out there who are racist, but they are racist because of their own opinions, not because it is socially acceptable. Our schools, buses, military, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. are accessable for all people regardless of their race, but we still need to work as individuals to be more accepting of people who are different. I think he would be satisfied, but he would tell us that we still had a ways to go. It is certainly important that we recognize what he did, because MLK impacted our country in such a big way. I think the new memorial commemorating him in DC is a great way to remember what he did. In school, it is important that we learn about him, because realizing that things weren't always easy for African Americans in the US can help us learn about the world around us, that it's not always perfect and that we can do something to change that if we try hard. Like I said in class on Tuesday, the movie explaining why he died may be depressing, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't learn about what MLK did to help people's quality of life. That's like saying that we shouldn't learn about the Holocaust because it was sad.
I think MLK's dream has been realized. We have to remember....he fought a battle for the white race to except, embrace, and be EQUALS with black's, because he realized we are all people. People make false statements of a group or race of people just by seeing one person act. But, more importantly, it is crucial to realize that the battle never quite ends. There are still people who disagree with the outcome of WWII. People who believe the white race is superior, that it is the only acceptable race. That difference is something to be killed out, not celebrated. There will always be people who disagree. There will always be people who discriminate against others, who are brutal and cruel. But I think MLK realized that, in spite of this, we have to make a change in the nation. If a person with a darker skin color than you can't even drink out of the same water fountain...that may seem small, but that's even more reason it should be allowed! We are all equals, all humans. I think he would be pleased to know we have learned from our mistakes, and that in this country, we have changed our ways of thinking. We can't forget what happened, because then we would have never improved.
I believe that we have come a long way since MLK started his marches, speeches, etc. Back then, African Americans could not even walk into a store without being thrown out or arrested. I agree with most of the bloggers. We're not done yet, but we're close. I think that if MLK were here, he would not be satisfied. There is still such thing as racial profiles and other stuff. I think some people in this world just don't get it. All MLK is trying to say here is that everybody is equal! Everybody has a personality and uniqueness and that shouldn't be destroyed by the way somebody looks. We are all born a different person and we should be PROUD of ourselves. MLK would agree that the world is not perfect, but people can start by being themselves and kind to others. What I've seen in those horrible videos about racism made me cry. It is not just for a living person to be treated like this. I think the people back then were just trying to make themselves feel better by taking it out on people that were different than them. Still- I mean seriously!- people of the 20th century! Even though MLK has passed, his dream doesn't end there. Us kids of the 21st century need to make things better and fix the mistakes of the past including racism. I think MLK would be really happy to see that happen!
I do believe MLK's dream has been realized. Like Lydia said that's why we can go to school together and get along. Yes there are people out there who are racist and don't like blacks, but this is America and they can think what they want. Some blacks even think they are treated unfairly but they should realize that they have the same rights as any other naturalized or native born citizen. Most of the hit music right now is sung by black people, Lil' Wayne, Flo Rida, Rhianna, and Drake who is even coming to Tallahassee for a concert. Some people on MLK day had a protest for better rights for blacks but hey already have the same rights as you and me. I had a thought that what if only blacks got to get off school and work on MLK day? That wouldn't be fair to the rest of America, and would probably start a protest. I think Martin Luther King Day is very important. It's a day were you have to be thankful for not having slavery and that everyone can have equal rights. Even though most people don't use the day off that way. If King didn't die so young I believe they would have gotten even farther in their protest and might have had better rights than any other race. I'm glad that MLK did what he did because life wouldn't be the same without any of my different racial friends.
I would like to add that MLK probably would make an argument about affirmative action if he were here today. It is nearing the same thing that he tried to end. I'm not saying it's completely bad, but it's not fair to people who aren't of minorities who have to work harder to get into a college. It's reverse discrimination, and that is what so many people, including Martin Luther King Jr., died to prevent.
Martin Luther King was one of the most influential people in America's history. He launched a crusade for people's freedom and equality that can be likened to a nonviolent American Revolution. We have to realize that we have reached the "Promised Land" of racial equality, but there is still racial profiling, affirmative action in colleges with admission, and hate crimes. We can do all possible things to end this, and I believe someday we will, as a nation, make it to the "mountaintop".
I agree with all of you guys, but Lydia I think that his dream is realized but not really fully accomplished, its because there is still discrimination amonsgt people around the worlds. Like in some schools... And We should make school valid for people who wants to go to school in MLK day! If they would want to learn they would come to school! If they do not want to they could just stay.... We should do more about advancing his dream than just PIPA and SOPA ;)
I agree with Jan, we should be at school on MLK Day. It would give us, as students, a better understanding of the holiday and help us learn about what the world was like back then (and how we can make a better future).
Martin Luther King uncovered the true meaning of his dream that day. He went from having a dream, to being that dream. He did all he could possibly have done to stand up for the rights of his people. Yet, there are still people today that are racist against African-Americans. If you askm me, it is the stupidest thing ever. To have so much hatred against people who have darker skin. Darker skin! When you think about everything that has happened in history over this "darker skin", you start to realize how ridiculous the whole situation was. But it's already happened. And if it hadn't been for Dr. King, our nation might still be like that today. Ridiculous and stupid. Sometimes I wonder why people thought it was wrong to have darker skin. To be honest, I don't think most people really knew why. Maybe it was just plain hatred. But all I know is, MLK still lives in the hearts of people who know there is still racism in the world and believe African-Americans should have equal rights as white people. I know I do.
I think that Martine Luther king's dream was that both whites and blacks can live together in a society where noone is judged based on color or gender or race. If Martin Luther king was alive today, I believe that he would try to ultimately bring his support to other nations around the world and teach them that everyone can get along even if they have been hating each other for decades or years
I think that Martine Luther king's dream was that both whites and blacks can live together in a society where noone is judged based on color or gender or race. If Martin Luther king was alive today, I believe that he would try to ultimately bring his support to other nations around the world and teach them that everyone can get along even if they have been hating each other for decades or years
I think that Martine Luther king's dream was that both whites and blacks can live together in a society where noone is judged based on color or gender or race. If Martin Luther king was alive today, I believe that he would try to ultimately bring his support to other nations around the world and teach them that everyone can get along even if they have been hating each other for decades or years
I agree and disagree with Jan. Yes his dream is not fully accomplished since there is still racism, but what he wanted to happen in his dream happened. People accept one another, and work for mutual benefit all the time. This peaceful relationship is what his dream was all about.
In my opinion, I think that Martin Luther King's dream has been realized, in the major things at least. For example, black and white people are allowed to go to the same schools, shop in the same places, get served in the same resturants, and live next door to each other without incident. But I think there are still some things that could be done to make MLK's dream more real. I think that if he were here, he would have worked harder and harder until black and whites are completely equal, because in some places, white people hate black people, and are still mean to them and think that the black people aren't as important as all the white people. Sure, if MLK were to see how far things have gone without him he would be proud of everyone who supported and helped to get us to where we are today, but he would have gotten us to better equality if he had not been killed. I feel really bad and ashamed to be a white person when I see how whites had treated blacks. The color of the skin shouldn't matter, and you certainly should NOT be beat up for the color of your skin, and you shouldn't be treated any better or worse for the color of your skin. Not only is it just being mean and unfair, but it's just the wrong thing to do. And nobody should ever have to go through the pain and suffering that the African Americans did. It's mean and 100% awful, and I don't like to think about what America would be like now if Martin Luther King Jr. had never had the courage to do everything he did.
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