Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the I Have A Dream Speech

By Nathan Young on August 28, 2013

Today was the 50th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. speech I Have A Dream. No doubt, lots has changed in the last 50 years between whites and blacks. Everyone has the right to vote, everyone is treated equally, and everyone has the freedom to do anything they want. That’s why America is awesome! 50 years ago, blacks and other colored people in Alabama were mistreated. They had to go to separate bathrooms, restaurants, water fountains, and even buses. Several officials and leaders were so determined to keep colored people out, they stood in front of schoolhouse doors and anywhere else to keep the south in its discriminatory ways.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was very influential in pressuring officials in Washington D.C. to change the laws so everyone would be treated equally. Dr. King got many people of all skin colors to lead a march to Washington D.C. And on August 28, 1963, Dr. King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered an epic speech! If you have not seen the I Have A Dream speech, please take the time and watch it.

Dr. King urged Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act, and America changed forever! Today, leaders came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the I Have A Dream Speech. And while I was watching some of the speeches, I was wondering if America has changed for the better, or do we still have some work to do. First off, what if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was never assassinated? Would America be different today? Dr. King’s last speech before he was killed was a moving speech.

Today, all colored people have the same rights as white people do. It took Alabama a long time to heal after the Civil Rights Act was passed and signed. Sadly, there are still some people living in Alabama and other states today that are still racist to colored people. And it’s not just blacks; its Hispanics, Asians, and other colors too. Some great examples would be the Alabama Legislature passing the Illegal Immigration Bill or HB 56 which did not solve anything.

Today, it’s not just people being discriminatory against other people’s skin color. People are discriminated against if they are homosexual, or if they have a disability. Now, it’s not everyone doing it and I know that. It’s just some people will never accept anyone who is different or thinks differently. If Dr. King was still alive today, would he be satisfied or disgusted over our society today? I believe he would be somewhat disgusted.

Our society can still live the dream from Dr. King’s speech. People needs to accept others who are different, from skin color, homosexuality belief, and even disability. These people can not change their ways. How can someone be cured from a permanent disability? Or how could someone be cured from thinking about homosexuality and being gay? I am thankful to see those gay conversion camps being shut down. No one should force anyone to change their views about life!

Society has improved since the 1960’s and you don’t see police officers going around and beating people who have a different skin color. I would rather live in today’s society than the society from the 1960’s. But, we can still improve our society today, it’s just going to take some education my friends. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would say it, we need to have some righteousness.