by Tom Chillemi –
In 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, delivered his famous “I have a Dream” speech. It was a defining moment in the civil rights struggle. “I have a dream,” said King on that August day to 250,000 people assembled on the National Mall, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
King also shared his dream to “transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.”
For George Robinson of Topping, King’s dream has not yet been realized. “We need to come together,” said Robinson. “I don’t think his dream is consistent with what’s going on now.”
King’s legacy “means a lot” to Robinson, who hopes that it will not be forgotten.
An excerpt from King’s 1963 speech seems appropriate for these troubled times:
“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred,” said King. “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”
Robinson, who served in the U.S. Army as a supply sergeant, said he’s seen a lot of changes in his 68 years, but there is more to be done. “People don’t believe in the ‘dream.’ It seems like we are separate. We need a lot of people like Martin Luther King, Black and white. We are all children of God and we need to come together.”
