I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and
frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply
rooted in the American dream. – Martin Luther King Jr.



Monday marked Martin Luther King Day, now officially celebrated in all 50 states across the nation.

What was once an event full of parades, classroom discussions and media
coverage saturated with the civil rights leader’s impassioned “I Have A
Dream” speech – has in recent years turned into little more than a day
off from work or school.

In Portland – and mirrored in just a few area communities – a small
crowd gathered to commemorate the slain leader, who was assassinated 40
years ago this April. But the black and white media clips that once ran
on all daytime television and night programs were dramatically limited
compared to those in years past.

But despite of the lack of recognition – or perhaps because of it – King’s dream seemed more ensconced in reality Monday.

The 1960s black and white coverage distances itself from King’s dream.
The white faces seemed too bright, too white while the darker faces
seem that much darker – that much more different. Now, especially in
the wake of the political saturation in the race for president, the
color that jumps from the screen is jumbled.

An African American man is running for president. And, a woman is
running against him. The religious backgrounds of their fellow
candidates are wide-ranging. They are all living their own version of
the “American dream,” while their backers, standing side-by-side with
their own medley of backgrounds and ethnicities – many joining hands
and walking together as sisters and brothers per King’s dream – have
their own.

The lack of attention paid to King Monday was a sign of the changes
since his death – as well as a sign of things to come in the future.
More important than listening to his legacy – is living his legacy.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “I have a dream today.”

And when we stop hearing those words it will finally be a dream realized.