How We Can Make Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream Come True

On August 28, 1963, King stood amid a multitude of supporters from all backgrounds to dramatize the “shameful condition” in which the “Negro” existed. He railed against “the lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” where most minorities found themselves. King dreamt aloud of a day when all men, “black and white alike,” would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He longed for the day when all Americans would be able to enjoy the “riches of freedom and the security of justice” that were promised by the signers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

King said he would not be satisfied until: the “Negro” is no longer the “victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality”; their heavy and fatigued bodies can “gain lodging in motels of the highways and hotels of the cities”; the mobility of the “Negro” is not limited to moving from “a smaller ghetto to a larger one”; children are not “stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating ‘For Whites Only’”; and the “black voters of Mississippi are fully free to vote and those in New York believe they have something for which to vote.”

Although the message was couched in terms most closely related to African-Americans, King’s speech is ultimately a vision of hope for all Americans, regardless of race, sex, creed or orientation.

Close to 50 years later, many of King’s aspirations have become reality. No longer are people excluded from places of public accommodation based solely on the color of their skin. No longer are children stigmatized and prohibited from drinking from water fountains by signs that debase their very nature. Access to the polls is not conditional on the voter’s race.

Consequently, our Congress has become more diverse itself and better representative of our diverse country. In 1963, Congress had only five African-American representatives and no African-American senators. Today, there are more than 40 African-Americans serving in the House of Representatives, although there is only one African-American senator, Roland Burris of Illinois. The Supreme Court consisted only of white males when King gave his rousing “I Have a Dream” speech. Since then, the court has seated two African-American justices and three female justices, one of Latino descent.