Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Junior day. This day, of course, honors Dr. King and his contributions to America and the world.
Obviously enough, this is a good day to reflect on race, equality and Dr. King’s dream of a better America.
In his classic speech “I Have A Dream“, Dr. King assessed the progress that America had made since the Emancipation Proclamation. In his speech, he notes that segregation, discrimination, and poverty were still problems in America. Now, here we are in 2010.
On the positive side, America has improved since 1963. The most obvious sign of this is that an African American is president. Of course, there are still matters of concern. While discrimination and involuntary segregation are illegal, discrimination and segregation do still exist. Poverty is still a serious problem, especially due to the economic mess.
Overall, most Americans live in a better America now than they did back in 1963 and far more so then in 1863. This is, of course, a good thing. After all, what we should most hope to leave to those who come after us is a better world in which to live.
Despite this century of progress it should not be assumed that such improvements shall always continue. Nor should it be assumed that what has been gained must always remain. As such, a day of reflection should also be a day for looking ahead so as to help ensure that the dream shall not die.