.jpg)
"With this faith we will be able to hew out of the
mountain of despair a stone of hope." (inscribed on the MLK Memorial, pictured left)
It’s been fifty years since the Civil Rights Movement
reached its critical turning point with Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a
Dream” speech. Pop culture, the media and people everywhere are reflecting on
that historic August day in 1963 when hundreds of thousands of Americans
rallied in what would become the largest human rights demonstration in U.S.
history.
Dr. King fought for racial harmony and social and economic
justice for millions of black Americans during a time of segregation and
discrimination deeply rooted in racist attitudes within the spirit of “separate
but equal” rhetoric. Looking back with the luxury of hindsight, these
sentiments were an embarrassing period in American history, one that Dr. King fought
to amend. As many other commentators before me have stated, we should always
remember MLK’s calls for nonviolent change that advances all people, and how
his leadership extended to millions with courage, poise and dignity.
