One of the most impressive parts of Martin Luther King’s dream for America was his desire to see his own children “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” He did not dream of “special favors” offered to his children because of their race; he wanted them to have the same
opportunities that white children experienced: to be able to sit in any empty seat on a bus, to be able to be served at any lunch counter or restaurant, to be able to attend school and be fairly evaluated. He dreamed of true equality for all.King’s dream seemed radical at the time he was dreaming it during the late fifties and early sixties. But the great preacher was simply reminding this country of its roots in democracy and freedom. In his speeches he reminded white America that this country was built on freedom. He quoted the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, not Marx and Lenin. He reminded Americans that democracy meant freedom for all races; he did not argue that socialism and communism were the answer to black freedom.
King based his speeches and arguments on the Judeo-Christian religion. In April 1963, in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail," he wrote,
One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters they were in reality standing up for the best in the American dream and the most sacred values in our Judaeo-Christian heritage, and thusly, carrying our whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in the formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. (emphasis added)Martin Luther King, Jr., was a great American patriot. He served his country by revealing his dream of a better America. He recognized that his country was based on eternal values of decency and integrity, and his work helped others understand the true nature of equality for all races. During the period of history when he was working for equality, the time was right for a leap of maturity in race relations, and the great preacher was able to articulate the ideals that would help this country make that leap.
On November 2, 1983, after signing the bill that made the Reverend Martin Luther King’s birthday a national holiday, President Ronald Reagan said,
Each year on Martin Luther King Day, let us not only recall Dr. King, but rededicate ourselves to the Commandments he believed in and sought to live every day: Thou shall love thy God with all thy heart, and thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. And I just have to believe that all of us -- if all of us, young and old, Republicans and Democrats, do all we can to live up to those Commandments, then we will see the day when Dr. King's dream comes true.On this 78th birthday of this great patriot, as we remember the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., let that memory by enhanced as we also keep in mind President Reagan’s suggestion “to rededicate ourselves to the Commandments” and the beautiful ideals for which King lived and died.
Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream"
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Books by Linda Sue Grimes:
Singing in the Silence: Poems of Faith
In 1978, I began studying the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. I still study those teachings and strive to practice what I learn. I think of my writing as an extension and reinforcement of my spiritual studies. I am especially happy when the poems focus on my spiritual journey, as those in this volume do. I want to take sadness and turn it into joy, and I want to take anger and turn it into acceptance. But mostly, I want to acknowledge the beauty and mystery of God's presence in creation.Jiggery Jee's Eden Valley Stories
Hello, my name is Jiggery-Jee. I live in Eden Valley. Eden Valley is located in the very center of the Land of the Imagination. Surrounding Eden Valley are such places as Tulip Grove, Carrot Valley, Bunnyville, Faultner Grove, and Flower Town. We have many residents in Eden Valley who came to the Valley from the surrounding places. They come here because Eden Valley is peaceful. All of the residents of Eden Valley work and play and live in an atmosphere of harmony. The weather is always perfect; the sun shines when we need sun, and the rain rains when we need rain. However, I must warn you that although things really are peaceful and harmonious in Eden Valley, sometimes they do not start out that way; we often have to work to make life peaceful and harmonious._____________________________________________________________________________
