55 years ago this August, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood in front of the more than 250,000-strong March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to deliver what is today his most famous speech.
“I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”
Just as 2018 marks the 55
th
anniversary of Dr. King’s
“I have a dream”
speech, it also marks the 50
th
anniversary of his assassination.
In the five decades since Dr. King’s life was cut short, great gains have been made in the advancement of racial equality in the United States. But it behooves us to remember that the fight for justice and freedom is ongoing.
We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day every January not simply to honor the legacy of Dr. King but to reflect upon the ways in which we can and must continue to struggle to ensure that all of humanity – regardless of race, creed, class, or nation – is granted the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opportunities.
This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we send our best wishes to the American community and honor those who fight today for equality, justice, and freedom just as Dr. King did half a century ago.
