Martin Luther King's Shattered Dream

Martin Luther King's Shattered Dream

"I have a dream" is a phrase heard by more than 200,000 Americans on August 28, 1963, and since then, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" has resonated through millions of heads and thoughts in the world. Eyes search for the reality of his dream, ears search for the freedom bells ringing, hands search for a brother's hand, and mouths search for the songs of freedom. Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of a utopia where the colors of black and white would become so intertwined that shades of gray would appeared. Martin Luther King, Jr. charged the American people to go out and create a perfect place, and many people have tried, but as long as antiquated moral values remain, America will never fully wake up from the nightmare of racism and enter into the dream of equality.

Of course, not all race relations today are a nightmare; Americans have risen above some of their petty prejudices and biases. During the sixties, black people were forced to ride in the back of busses, black people were forced to stay apart from white people, black people were forced to step out of the way of white people, and black people were commonly disrespected and thought of as inferior. Because of segregation, there were different schools, different water fountains, different restaurants, and different housing areas. A black man was not encouraged to elevate in society but instead had the words "you are inferior" constantly beaten into him by the white man. Because of these practices, Civil Rights movements began to take place and people like Martin Luther King, Jr. began speaking out against the injustices toward black people. The Civil Rights movement accomplished several things: in today's society segre...

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...intentionally been taught; however much I try to scrub the dark soot out of my brain, the spot remains.

These spots remain on all of society as long as these thoughts and feelings remain in people's minds. King dreamed that "one day [his] four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." But, as long as white people continue their ingrown practices, this will never happen: there are bad opinions of a black and white couple, there has never been a black president, there are very few black students and teachers at McCallie, and there is not a single black family in my neighborhood. Yes, there is equality, but only between black and white Barbie dolls. King tells us to "let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee," but we fail to reach such a high expectation.