Forty-seven years ago this weekend, on a sweltering August day often
remembered simply as the March on Washington, my father delivered his "I Have a Dream"
speech at the Lincoln Memorial. A memorial to him is being erected at
the Tidal Basin, not far from where he shared his vision of a nation
united in justice, equality and brotherhood.
This weekend Glenn Beck is to host a "Restoring Honor" rally at the
Lincoln Memorial. While it is commendable that this rally will honor the
brave men and women of our armed forces, who serve our country with
phenomenal dedication, it is clear from the timing and location that the
rally's organizers present this event as also honoring the ideals and
contributions of Martin Luther King Jr.
I would like to be clear about what those ideals are.
Vast numbers of Americans know of my father's leadership in opposing
segregation. Yet too many believe that his dream was limited to
achieving racial equality. Certainly he sought that objective, but his
vision was about more than expanding rights for a single race. He hoped
that even in the direst circumstances, we could overcome our differences
and replace bitter conflicts with greater understanding, reconciliation
and cooperation.
My father championed free speech. He would be the first to say that
those participating in Beck's rally have the right to express their
views. But his dream rejected hateful rhetoric and all forms of bigotry
or discrimination, whether directed at race, faith, nationality, sexual
orientation or political beliefs. He envisioned a world where all people
would recognize one another as sisters and brothers in the human
family. Throughout his life he advocated compassion for the poor,
nonviolence, respect for the dignity of all people and peace for
humanity.
Although he was a profoundly religious man, my father did not claim to
have an exclusionary "plan" that laid out God's word for only one group
or ideology. He marched side by side with members of every religious
faith. Like Abraham Lincoln, my father did not claim that God was on his
side; he prayed humbly that he was on God's side.
He did, however, wholeheartedly embrace the "social gospel." His
spiritual and intellectual mentors included the great theologians of the
social gospel Walter Rauschenbush and Howard Thurman. He said that any
religion that is not concerned about the poor and disadvantaged, "the
slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the
social conditions that cripple them[,] is a spiritually moribund
religion awaiting burial." In his "Dream" speech, my father paraphrased
the prophet Amos, saying, "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls
down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
The title of the 1963 demonstration, "The Great March on Washington for
Jobs and Freedom," reflected his belief that the right to sit at a lunch
counter would be hollow if African Americans could not afford the meal.
The need for jobs and shared economic prosperity remains as urgent and
compelling as it was 47 years ago. My father's vision would include
putting millions of unemployed Americans to work, rebuilding our
tattered infrastructure and reforms to reduce pollution and better care
for the environment.
In my efforts to help realize my father's dream, supporting justice,
freedom and human rights for all people, I have conducted nonviolence
workshops and outreach in communities across this country and numerous
other nations. My experiences affirm the enduring truth of my father's
words: that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" and
that "we are all bound together in a single garment of destiny."
I pray that all Americans will embrace the challenge of social justice
and the unifying spirit that my father shared with his compatriots. With
this commitment, we can begin to find new ways to reach out to one
another, to heal our divisions, and build bridges of hope and
opportunity benefiting all people. In so doing, we will not merely be
seeking the dream; we will at long last be living it.
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