Dr. King’s Dream Today
As Washington D.C. and the nation celebrate the debut of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, I am reminded and humbled knowing that there is still much work left to be done in order to realize Dr. King’s dream.
The new memorial shows Dr. King emerginging from a “Stone of Hope.” I see it as looking a bit unfinished, symbolizing his unfinished life, his unfinished work, and our unfinished efforts to ensure our children have every opportunity to live out the American dream. I see it as a call to fight for educational options for our children, for fewer barriers to innovation in the education system, and to inspire our young generation to serve this country, especially through teaching. I see it as a reminder that the path from poverty is paved with education, and that America’s children deserve to grow up knowing they can create safe, happy lives for themselves through hard work and determination.
We cannot be complacent. We cannot sit back and tell ourselves that Dr. King’s work is finished. If he were alive today, he would see schools named after him in which children are graduating without the ability to read. He would see urban and rural children stuck in schools that don’t work because we’re waiting for “the system” to fix itself rather than empowering parents to put their children into programs that work. He would see a country not doing the hard work and unselfish self-assessment it takes to continuously better itself and provide a brighter future for the next generation. We must still have a dream and we must continue to fight for it.