The American Dream

Forty-five years ago today Martin Luther King Jr. made a speech in Washington, DC. It wasn't anything like anyone expected. Washington, DC had almost been shut down in anticipation of riots, tear gas and blood. All elective surgeries had been cancelled, extra plasma had been stockpiled, even the Washington Senators' baseball game had been postponed, all in fear of the planned rally. It could have been a bad scene, but it wasn't. He started out with one of his standard speeches, and it was okay, but not rousing. He was a good speaker, but not a great one. Then he put aside his prepared text and started talking. He talked about his dream, and about how all of God's children should share in that dream. He talked about better times, and how to get there without fighting and bloodshed. And he talked about that dream, and made the reality of it almost tangible. How many speeches can you call to mind right now? It was that memorable.
I was 12. I lived in rural southern Mississippi, and most of my time was spent on football, fishing, and reading every book Mrs Grady could get for me in the tiny library in Collins, MS. But I watched the news every night, and I read the paper every day, and I knew as much as anyone else about what was going on in my state and my country. "Freedom rider" was not a historical phrase for me. I saw them get off buses, I watched them march and heard them chant and sing. I read the statistics on how many were arrested, how many were on hunger strikes, and how many were sent back home. I watched as my home state was pilloried night after night on the national news networks, and yes, I wondered if we couldn't just send the cameras and the slick talkers in front of them back home. But of course that didn't happen.
It wasn't about race for me, or for my little world then. It was about people from outside coming in and telling us how ignorant, trashy and utterly worthless we were. I resented it. I still do. And I know now what I didn't know then, that it was about race for the larger community, or at least about basic human rights. A few years later, in another state, I was refused service in a cafe because one of the guys in our group was black. I was irate, he was inured to it. I wanted to fight, he led me out into the parking lot and calmed me down. That may be as close as I will ever get to understanding why several hundred thousand people marched to Washington that day. I clearly remember signs that said "whites only" and "colored" on restrooms and water fountains, and I wonder if we would have gotten where we are today without confrontation back then. Then I am reminded of the dream, and the day, and the speech, and I think maybe, just maybe we would have. We'll never know.
Of course I've been watching the Democratic convention, and Bill Clinton's speech last night brought all this back to me. No, I'm not a democrat, but I think it's important that we all watch both conventions. I'll be watching the Republicans next week (I'm not one of them, either). If you want to talk politics with me, email me at lindsey@surfmore.net, and we can talk, but this forum is not for that. If its for anything, its an outlet for me to marvel to whomever finds this and reads it about all that's happened, is happening, and will happen, all in a part of one person's lifetime. What a great time to live. And Bill said it right last night: this race is between 2 good men, both of whom love their country. I'm going to try real hard to remember that over the next few weeks. Whoever wins will be my President. I hope all of you will say the same. I'm real tired of red and blue unless it's on our flag, and I'm real tired of liberal and conservative unless it's liberal doses of scotch and conservative modes of dress. I believe that all of us, down deep, want pretty much the same things. Don't we all want children to have good food, and access to a doctor when they're sick? Don't we all want old folks (whom I desparately want to be one of someday) to have good lives, enough resources, and dignity? Don't we all want good jobs and careers for our children and theirs? Don't we all want a world that doesn't demand blood sacrifice of our bravest young people way too often? Our enemies are hunger, poverty, tyranny, greed, racism, intolerance and ignorance, not each other.
I'm looking forward to putting people who live to stir us up against each other out of business after this election, and actually working together not only so that dear old Dr. King can realize his dream, but so that all of us can re-focus on the American Dream. I'm for that.
Send this to someone else, and tell me what you think.