MartinLutherKingJr.

Day
1/18/16
UnfinishedBusiness
Dreams.
We all have them, whether we remember them
or not. We all have them, whether we choose to
voice them or not.
Freud said that whether we intend it or not, we're
all poets. That's because on most nights, we
dream. And dreams are lot like poetry. We
conjure images and imagine things different than
they are; we daydream and we night dream.
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. Did you
know that on the eve of the famous speech at
the MARCH ON WASHINGTON in August 1963,
that Martin Luther Kings aids were advising him
"don't use the dream speech; its too clich,
people have heard it before.

King left the meeting with his staff that evening

to put the final touches to his speech. "I am now
going upstairs to my room to counsel with my
Lord," he told them. "I will see you all tomorrow."
He was last and 16th to speak on a very long
program on August 28, 1963. Half way through
his prepared written speech, his favorite gospel
singer sang out "tell us about your dream Martin"
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise
up and live out the true meaning of its creed,
'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all
men are created equal.'
*It sets bigotry against color-blindness while
prescribing no route map for how we get from
one to the other.
"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama,
with its vicious racists little black boys and little
black girls will be able to join hands with little

white boys and white girls as sisters and

brothers."
*Polls show that while African Americans and
American whites both agree about the extent to
which "the dream has been realized", they
profoundly disagree on the state of
contemporary race relations. In fact, blacks and
whites are less likely to see or experience the
same problems, more likely to disagree on the
causes of those problems and, therefore,
unlikely to agree on a remedy. Hearing the same
speech, they understand different things.
Martin went off reservation (political speech
lingo) that day, and thank God he did. It proves,
from the heart is best, he read his audience for
longing more, aids can't always offer the best
advice, and that powerful words can become a
movement.
As Saratogians, we put words into actions. I

hope our actions can follow along the mantra of

King.
What would you do, Could do
- To help a neighbor?
- Bring collaborative energy and ideas to
solve issues instead of prejudice and
criticism,
- Listen to an opposing view before judging
and
- Be curious. Yesterday Meta theater
company... said curiosity is a great place to
start to better understand one another and
appreciate our differences.
It's been 521/2 years since that speech.
While the struggle to defeat it was bitter and
divisive, nobody today is seriously campaigning
for the return of segregation or openly mourning
its demise. However Saratoga, We have more

work to do. We have unfinished business. Let's

dream and, act.
King said it best. "Life's most persistent and
urgent question is, "What are you doing for
others?" Thank you.
* Gary Young