Dear Editor,
January 20 marks the day when the American people, indeed the entire world, reflect on the life and work of the late Dr Martin Luther King who was a strong advocate for equal rights and human dignity especially with respect to African-Americans in the United States.
It is no exaggeration to say that because of his strong advocacy and his passive resistance to discriminatory practices, race relations in the United States have seen marked improvement. In a real sense, King redefined race relations in the United States in a way no other person was able to do.
The late Dr King would be long remembered for his ability to communicate with people and to mobilize them through the power of speech, the most memorable of which was ‘I have a Dream’ in which he re-affirmed a belief that some day all men regardless of race, colour or creed would live like brothers.
On April 3 1968 he said to supporters that he had a vision of the “Promised Land” and that even though he may not live to see that day, that day would surely come. As fate would have it, the very next day he was shot and killed by someone obviously sick in the mind. That person turned out to be James Earl Ray who was captured after weeks of a massive manhunt.
But it was his speech ‘I have a Dream’ delivered on August 28 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC that turned out to be the most acclaimed and enduring speech of all times. The choice of words, the imagery, the manner of articulation, the depth of emotion and thoughts were all flawless, as can be seen from the following excerpts:
“But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”
“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.”
Profound words indeed. It speaks to the measure of the man and his visionary qualities that yesterday, a national holiday in the United States is declared on his birthday and a day of reflection; January 20 is observed in his honour. The United States today has a Black President in the person of Barack Obama, an indication of how much race relations have changed since the days of Martin Luther King.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
