MLK Celebration

Today, I attended a celebration to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Cobb Civic Center in Marietta, Georgia. It was a wonderful event sponsored by the NAACP - among other sponsors - that highlighted the talents of persons young and old. Witnessing a nine-year-old girl give a powerful recital of one of MLK's speeches, a young teenage boy recite his spoken word "Dream Catcher," and a gentleman give his remake to the O' Jays "Family Reunion" were just a few of many moving performances.

There was a moment where we all stood to sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and it almost brought tears to my eyes because each verse was highlighted by a moment in history which marked the days of slavery, the civil rights movements, and today's struggles. It had me thinking about the struggles my ancestors endured with the lines "God of our weary years, God of our silent tears," and caused me to reflect on how they still maintained the spirit to lift their voices to sing, to fight, and to move forward.

Then, I thought of my life. Dr. King was not the only one with a dream. All of our ancestors had  dreams. The Harriet Tubmans, the Frederick Douglasses, the Rosa Parks, and everyone else who fought for the progression and freedom of the negro had dreams. Their dreams allowed me to have my stage. Their dreams allowed me to have my voice. Their dreams allowed me to have my dreams to dream for a better tomorrow.

This week, I spent a few days listening to a bit of Dr. King's speeches, and he was the epitome of what it meant to be free when he recited the words "I've seen the Promised Land." He was free. Now, I ask that we become free. Free from bondage. Free from despair. Free from the mental blockades that we have on our lives, in order to fulfill our dreams. "We" have a dream and we "shall be free at last."

God Bless