Martin Luther King, Jr.
(August 28, 1963)

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 slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

* * *

This week we stand at a turning point in American history. It is a turning point for not only the country as a political body, but also for each individual citizen, and more significantly, for an entire community of people. This moment in history will forever stand as a victory for equality, truth, and justice over the ever-present and seemingly unconquerable enemies of true freedom: i.e., prejudice, racism, ignorance, hate, and fear. The United States, after years of struggle, has finally said to the world: "We are a nation where all men are created equal."

Back in in 1968, during an era when such a message was only a dream to many Americans, Martin Luther King observed the following: "When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men—yes, black men as well as white men—would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Now, with the election of Barack Obama as America's first African-American president, the "promissory note" written more than 200 years ago is at last being cashed, so to speak. Times have changed, thank God Almighty. The United States as a united people of all different colors have decided that this man, Barack Obama, is the man for the job—no matter what he looks like. America is no longer a land wherein the masses say, "No! The color of your skin is wrong. You cannot be this. You cannot do that. You cannot go here. You cannot say that."

Racism, prejudice, hate, ignorance, and fear still exist in America, to be sure. But each of these evil specters that have so long haunted the halls of government, education, business, and even entertainment have been dealt a serious blow. I would ask that all Christians everyone praise God for this victory as we witness Barack Obama's inauguration.

Not all of us agree with Obama on every issue. In fact, some of us disagree most emphatically with him on a number of subjects. A few of us might even harbor disdain for his his policies and perspectives spanning the economy, homosexuality, foreign affairs, and abortion. But let us not forget what else is going on here in America with his inauguration. It is a milestone for the United States. Obama has been set in place by God to govern not just American Christians, but also American Muslims,  Jews, Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, Wiccans, Mormons, Sikhs, and those of innumerable other spiritualities. Obama has been set in place to govern not just Republicans and conservatives, but also Democrats and liberals; not just heterosexuals, but also homosexuals; not just the religious, but  also the irreligious. In other words, Barack Obama's place is to govern America. Our place is to pray for him and submit to God's will, which established him as the next president of the United States: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings” (Dan. 2:20-23, also see my article President Obama: History Made).

This last week, in celebration and preparation of Obama's inauguration, I have been watching several movies to better understand just how pivotal this moment in history is to America—movies that chronicle the struggles of Black Americans for equality. My hope and suggestion is that you watch these movies, too. And hopefully, after viewing them, better understand the significance of this time in history. Racism is an evil that has plagued this nation since its very inception. In Psalm 94:16, God asks: “Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?” At this historic moment, many Americans have stood up and answered the call. Now, in America, it seems, anything is possible—for anyone.

* * *

“I went and looked back at the Constitution, and the first sentence talks of our desire to form ‘a more perfect union.’ We haven’t done that, but we’re still striving. And I think only the least gracious among us—no matter what your political philosophy—only the least gracious wouldn’t say that this is a watershed moment for America.”
— GLORIA BORGER, contributing editor and columnist for US News and World Report and a Senior Political Analyst at CNN
Nov. 4, 2008, CNN News Election Coverage

MOVIES TO WATCH

Sounder ( 1972 )

Roots ( 1977 )

Mississippi Burning ( 1988 )

Glory ( 1989 )

The Tuskegee Airman ( 1995 )

A Time to Kill ( 1996 )

Ghosts of Mississippi ( 1996 )

Remember the Titans ( 2000 )

Men of Honor (2000)