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Monday, January 18, 2010

MLK



Growing up, my dad was calculated with the things he had us do on Sunday Afternoons. Once a month we would visit some kind of museum. It was his desire that we be educated beyond our schools. He wanted us to consider the world; the complexity of science, the beauty of art, the gravity of history, all of it. I recall visits to the African-American Museum in Exposition Park. I can remember standing in front of a television in that museum the first time we visited and listening to Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech. I remember being around seven years old and thinking that this dream had been accomplished; I went to school with children of various races and didn't see the big deal. As I got older I realized that while progress had been made, we had further to go. Today when I searched YouTube for this speech and began to read the vile comments that were posted by ignorant anonymous fools, it made my heart ache.

I appreciate the day off, and am spending it like most people relaxing. But I did take a few minutes and listened to this speech below. I listened to the whole thing, not just the sound bites. I considered the words of Dr. King and how they remained true. My hope is that one day I can take my child to the same museum that I visited. That we'd stand before a similar display and that in that moment my son or daughter would also think that the dream had come true.  My hope is that on that day, they would be more right than I was in my youth.

Thank you Dr. King, for shining a light on the darkness that remains.


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