More dreams: Historic memory should spark modern re-examination

It is not possible to listen to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech without getting a knot in your throat.

It was a courageous call for all Americans -- black and white -- to be better people and to stand for the principles of freedom and equality.

It was a milestone, a watershed, a turning point.

And it lasted only 17 minutes. Because, after all, some of the most powerful messages do not have to be long or drawn out. Truth is truth.

And the memory of that speech should be a motivator for all of us to expect more.

It should be a call to push education and graduation and to demand achievement -- not just in minority communities, but for every child.

It should be a call to push churches and community groups as well as other volunteers to get involved, to make a difference.

It should be a call to reject excuses and those who want to ignore the concerns and troubles that plague today's families.

It should be a call to reject those who choose to use race as a divider and who are creating an industry for personal profit rather than changing hearts for the good of the people or the nation.

It should be a call to demand more standards, not less -- to reject vile lyrics, distasteful depictions of violence in movies and video games that glorify murder and mayhem.

It should be a call to aspire to be a better society, to be a better place to raise children who grow up with values and compassion.

It should be a call for self-reliance, responsibility, hard work and honor -- and rewards for those who ascribe to those principles.

And we should continue to fight bias, prejudice and violence -- wherever it pops up, and whomever is the perpetrator.

Dr. King asked his brothers and sisters of all colors and faiths to stand together, to help create a nation of hope and promise.

And people listened -- peacefully and as a united front.

There was no violence. There were few arrests. It was that kind of uniting force.

We could use more of that these days.

That should be our new dream.

Published in Editorials on August 28, 2013 10:54 AM