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We Should Have a Dream
Last week was Martin Luther King’s birthday. That got me thinking critically about his “I Have a Dream Speech,” in which Dr King said:
“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.
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”
In the first paragraph we hear Rev. King speak of the country honoring the Declaration of Independence claim that all men are created equal. In the second paragraph, he talks of all our people sitting in brotherhood. As a minister I would expect Rev. King to long for a dream of brotherhood, and certainly I would like to see us all promote and strive for brotherhood and sisterhood.
While we have advanced in race relations since that speech, America is still far from truly recognizing King’s dream. In addition to it being the right thing, now there is a pragmatic economic reason to achieve equality.
To make the 21st century another American Century; we need to use all our resources. When many people think of resources, they think of iron, coal, gold, oil and other riches found in the earth. When I think of resources I think also of our people. The United States has become a great nation because of its mineral wealth and its rich farmland, but most of all because of its people.
For much of the 20th century, the world seemed bigger because of older transportation, communication, and production technologies. That made it easier for the U.S. to be among the most competitive nations without getting the most from our people resources.
Today, our world has shrunk because of the advances in those technologies. We face steep competition from all countries worldwide—developed and undeveloped.
While we’ve had an excellent education system in the U.S., those who’ve benefited most from it were typically able bodied, white, male, and not poor. This left several groups behind, creating an education achievement gap. Think of all the great minds that were wasted over the years because of that education gap.
Today things are better, but because generations were excluded from the system, an education gap for the poor, the non-white, and those with disabilities remains. As a nation that needs input from every citizen, we can no longer afford to let those minds miss out on a good education. That waste will make us less competitive, and in today’s environment we cannot afford to be less competitive.
To honor Dr. King we need to work to reduce the education gap, but we also need to work to reduce that gap for our children, our grandchildren, our nation’s future and ourselves.
Posted in News & Notes | Related Topics: Minority Issues Achievement Gap