A BEAUTIFUL DREAM

On August 28, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech that helped transform a nation. On April 4, 1968 Dr. King paid the ultimate price for his peaceful war on hatred and segregation, being killed by a single shot from an assassin. But his vision of a different and better America for all its citizens resonated with both supporters and antagonists alike. Unmitigated truth has a way of cutting through the darkness of deception and giving strength and resolve to do what is right. The words “I have a dream” were not in his written speech, they were an ad-libbed addition from the heart. Those words rattled preconceived notions and authorized dreaming of a better nation, a better world. His poignant words ring as true today as they did that day on the Washington Mall: "It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment...And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.''' I too, have a dream…and a commitment to the its full manifestation. Thank you Dr. King for your inspiration, your example, your words and your sacrifice. This nation and this world owe you a great debt.