Mlk_Essay

Arguably, one of the greatest speeches in American history, Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream,” signified many realities now commonplace in the United States. Unfortunately, there are still some hopes and goals that Dr. King pointed out, that hot day in Washington, that have yet to be realized. This amazing speech was delivered at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. Dr. King’s words addressed many of the difficult issues the African American community was facing in the United States at that time. His words were inspirational as it called for desegregation, integration of all races and skin colors, the freedom to stand up for what you believe in, no matter what race, gender or age, and the end to all racism everyday and anywhere. The dream that Martin Luther King had has been realized in many different ways. The first way is that most schools and public places are not segregated anymore. Everyone is allowed to go anywhere they want without the fear of retribution. During the Civil Rights movement and times before that, places were segregated to keep people of color and white people seperate. The places that the black people were forced to eat at or go to school in were usually much dirtier and not as nice as those places for white people. Discrimination was also universally accepted in the workplace. There are now laws that prohibite discrimination, but also in today’s work environment, discrimination is rarely an issue. In the second paragraph of his speech, Dr. King states that “The life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” In today’s world he would be very happy to see these issues are no longer an existing problem. Not to say it never happens, but we can say it rarely happens. Martin Luther King called for the black men, women and children to stand up in what they believe in and for what is right. He wanted the African American people in the American society to become their own group. He did not want them to follow what the white man was doing. Oprah Winfrey is the one of the richest African American’s in America. Our nation is now lead by a black man, Barack Obama, and the top athletes in the world today are African American, like Usain Bolt, Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods. Most of the music sold in stores or online today, is music made my African Americans, with many white kids in today’s society longing to “be” black. These examples show that America; as well as, African Americans, have made tremendous strides. In his speech, Dr. King, stated many times that he wanted blacks in America to stand up for themselves and what is right and to be their own person. With all of the things that Martin Luther King’s speech accomplished, there are still many things that have not been solved in America and in the World. A significant amount of racism still continues in some communities, everyday in the United States. In the world’s history we see that race or being different has always been and still is a constant source of struggle. Wars are still being fought all over the world over skin color and religion, and America has still had some struggles. There have been several different race riots or fights and only a few years ago, right here in our own back yard, Santa Monica High School had a fight break due to racial comments being casually thrown around. And unfortunately one of the biggest obstacles for the stop of racism still exists in 2009: the KKK. These groups of barbaric and hateful people have been terrorizing African American people since slavery was abolished, and continue to be strong in many parts of the country. As a student in 2009 at a high school known for its diverse student body, I can’t imagine what it would have been like to live back in 1963 when Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” address was delivered. To live in a world where I might have to be separated from some of my best friends seems hard to believe. Or that our Dad’s who work in the same industry would get paid different incomes for the same job due to their skin color. What if Dr. King had never made this speech on that hot, August afternoon' Would America be any different than it is now' Considering how many of his goals and wishes have come true, and yet how there are still many of his “dreams” unaccomplished, there is no doubt in my mind that my life of many friends with many different skin colors would not exist. In that respect, I think Dr. King would be amazed at how far we have come since 1963, and would only help to continue to make all of his dreams realized.