1-16-2022 5:24pm

I Have A Dream

Christine Larkin Editor

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that still lives on in our consciousness today. He was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesman and leader in the American civil rights movement from 1955 until his shocking assassination in 1968. Dr. King advanced civil rights through nonviolence, inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Ghandi. He was the son of early civil rights activist and minister, Martin Luther King, Sr., and participated in and led marches for blacks' right to vote, desegregation, labor rights, and other basic civil rights. He helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We can still hear Dr. King's voice bellow with emotion as he stood before more than 250,000 black and white men, women, and children on that historic day.

On April 4, 1968, at the age of 39, King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee at the Lorraine Motel. In 2006, I took a trip to Memphis to visit Elvis Presley's home at Graceland. For some reason, I did not think of Martin Luther King until one afternoon while riding a trolley through the back end of Memphis. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the Lorraine Motel through a small opening between two buildings. I screamed out to the conductor, "Stop! I have to get off!" He immediately hit the breaks in the middle of stops and let me exit. In that moment, that small, green motel became the most important reason for me to be in Memphis. As I frantically ran down the hill that led to a cavernous concourse, I came to a sudden stop at the foot of the rusted motel steps. How did this iconic place slip my mind when I was planning my trip to the city where one of the most important Americans lost his life while supporting a sanitation workers' strike? Ironically, here I was. Thank God. Every bit of empathy that I've always felt for others came to a climax in that moment, and tears streamed down my face as my eyes peered up to the second-floor balcony where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. met his untimely fate. Nothing around the hotel had changed since that infamous spring day, and there was even a Cadillac parked in the same spot it was more than 50 years ago. It was as though time stood still.

Dr. King’s legacy is of non-violent protest. In a 1959 radio address during his visit to India, King said: “Today we no longer have a choice between violence and nonviolence; it is either nonviolence or nonexistence.” We still don't have a choice. Violence is never an option. We must keep on fighting for peace, liberty, and justice for all, until all men are free.

We shall overcome.

Peace and Love,

Skylark

I am a columnist and write short, poetic articles about human interest, nature, general observations, and daily life around Bay Shore for Skylark Live Town News. Be sure to subscribe to my free SLTN newsletter that will be delivered directly to your email. If you wish, you can make a one-time donation in the amount you desire or a recurring monthly donation as a Friend ($5) or Advocate ($15) to help support Skylark Live Town News. You can also advertise your business or event on SLTN as well. It's easy and convenient to do. Take a look around my feed.

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