August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King declared his Dream of Jobs and Freedom from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. His speech is known as one of the greatest of the 20th century and, to this day, he’s celebrated for his heroism and non-violent ideals.
King was a public figure, inspired millions and gave his life for a noble cause. Although not a perfect person, he had many of the traits we often look for in our heroes. A sophisticated, educated orator and a leader with high emotional intelligence, he was driven by a single vision – to make civil rights a reality.
He spoke about the transformative power of values:
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
I look to the day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
King argued for integration as “…an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.” He was just 39 years of age when he was assassinated, having already inspired a massive re-structuring of civil rights in North America and beyond.
Although the post-racial world hasn’t materialized entirely, the march changed the course of our country. And we’ve made some progress toward equality. Education is the escalator out of poverty.
Everyone should be able to achieve personal dreams. We’ve all heard inspiring stories, yet there’s still so much hopelessness. Children need dads who will marry their moms and who make their kids feel valued.
Speeches can only do so much. The dream remains, and there’s still a lot of work to do. If you’ve had success, step up as a mentor. We all have a huge stake in finding solutions.
