On Monday, we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – remembering the contributions of the civil rights leader. In his most famous speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., King spoke of his dream – a dream of racial equality. He spoke at a time when African Americans suffered indignities such as being refused service in restaurants, being forced to ride in the back of public buses, to drink from black only water fountains, and much more. While our country has made great strides in the areas of race relations and racial equality, few can deny that racism still exist – in some areas of the country more than others.
It’s fitting around this time of year to reflect on MLK’s life and work. One question that we often ask is whether or not his dream has been realized. Have we come far enough? Have the barriers to racial equality been torn down sufficiently enough? If King was alive today (he would be 83-years-old this year), would he be satisfied with the progress that has been made? Has King’s dream been realized?
Is it important that we set aside a day to remember the work of Dr. King? What is the best way to commemorate his life? As students, as a school, should we be doing something to remember King and educate the youth of today about his impact on our nation's history?
What do you think? Avoid simple answers. Give me real thought. Read the comments of those posting before you. Come back after you post, and continue to keep up with additional posts until the deadline. I want a real conversation. Invite your parents to read the blog, and they can even comment. Enjoy!
Note: I'm including King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306
(32-minute film that we watched in class)
The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 from Marc Altshuler - Human Music on Vimeo.
Important: Be sure to check back daily as I will be posing new questions and thoughts in the comments section.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
42 comments:
I believe that we have come a long way since Martin Luther King Jr. was alive to prevent racism. If he were alive today he would be proud. Sadly, there is still racism today in America. Since 9/11 there has been some racism and racial profiling against Muslims. In states bordering Mexico, racial profiling is used against Hispanics. If Dr. King were alive he would be against this, but he would also be happy that we are all equal.
Ever since Martin Luther King Jr. and his works of trying to prevent racism, we have made lots of progress. If he were still alive, he would be very happy and proud of all of us for overcoming our racism. But, racism is still in our community. Some people are very racist to a certain race or group of people, but they usually don't do anything about it because the government has laws against that. Like Thomas has said, since 9/11 there has been racism and racial profiling against Muslims. But we are still striving to racial equality ever since we realized King's dream.
I think Sarah and Thomas basically narrowed it down. Our country has improved a lot on discrimination since then, and MLK would be very proud on how much we’ve accomplished. Yet, there is still a lot more room for improvement. Racial profiling still happens every day. Think about it like this, if you see a Muslim man in an airport, you’re going to automatically point out the Muslim man and assume he’s a terrorist. If you see a black man with a nice car, you’re going to wonder how he got the money to buy that car and assume he’s dealing with bad things. This is something that happens on a daily occasion if you think about it. I don’t think our nation will ever be perfect when it comes to racism. It’s hard to make someone see eye to eye with you, because everyone has different opinions. I don’t think people in our society really think about it as much as they should, although, I believe MLK would be proud of the progress, but he’d also agree there is room for improvement.
Dr. Luther's king speech means a lot to people because it has affected the society. Without MLK, the African Americans wouldn't have faith, peace, and determination to look up to. Without MLK the country would still be under Jim Crows' idea, " seperate, but equal." His dream, it means to us never to give up, do what is right even though it might cost you your life. If MLK was here he would be very glad of what the changes have been, he probably wouldn't take back a single thing he said.
After watching the film today, and really watching Dr. King giving the speech, I really felt like I was one of the people standing in that audience, listening to him talk. I felt like all I wanted was equality, freedom, and to be treated with respect. It made me really value the environment we live in today. Even though King was killed, his dream could not be taken down with him. It lives on. In the present day of 2012, you do not see gas stations with signs on the door that read "Whites Only." You do not see people being beaten on the street because all they want is a cup of coffee. Now, no matter what color you are and no matter where you come from, you are a person, like everyone else. Racism does exist in a lot of forms, against racial coloring, religion, etc. Though, these racist beliefs are not what we, as citizens, revolve around as a whole anymore. It is all because Martin Luther King had a dream. :)
And I agree 100% with Malak Khaleq.
Every since Martin Luther King Jr. marched and protested against rascim against Arican Americans alot has changed.We can be served at the same restaurants, drink out the same water fountains and site anywhere we want on public buses ect. Not only has things like that gotten better but White males and females have changed they dont treat us no different then the next person we are all one and i think Martin Luther King Jr would be proud of how far we have came.
Martin Luther King Jr. would be proud to see how far we have come since his time. He always wanted us to be equal and he tried to make it so there was no segragation beetween people because of their color. Now he would be happy to see what we have accoplished.
I think racism is still a problem but we have come a long way since Martin Luther King Jr. Without MLK no one knows where we would be today. I think MLK is a great inspiration to many people and he should be. He was the youngest person of his time to get a nobel peaxe prize and he was smart enough to get get a college degree early. And on top of all that he took a big risk to get rid of racism and had some of the greatest speeches in history.
We have progressed a lot, but I have noticed a few problems that are effecting me today as an Korean. I always wanted to go to one of the colleges in the Ivy League, but I heard it's really hard to get in when your an Asian. There is lots of discrimination against Asians from the college administrators. These racist people think that Asians are all-about-education robots that do nothing but study. I totally disagree with that! Not all Asians are smart! I know a few that are sort of stupid and dull. By the time I get to choosing a college to try to get into, I hope these college administrators gain some sense! Now I know just a tiny bit of how the African Americans felt during the time of segregation of Caucasians and the other races. I hope we all strive to end this discrimination against each other so that we can live in the peaceful world that Martin Luther King Jr. imagined.
I believe we have achieved MLK's dream. There still is racism but I believe there always will be. That racism isn't just pointed at the blacks either, it is also pointed at muslims, and sometimes even white people. I believe MLK would be proud of this progress and that he would be proud that he played a huge role in it. I believe this day should be remembered because MLK was such a wonderful nonviolent person that just had one dream, everyone to be equal, because he was a man and he helped people realize that.
Well, I say Martin Jr's dream today means that from one individual to a whole nation has a belief or ideal of their own and believe they should be heard and listen to regardless of how so small the matter & how low in society of those being speaking my minds. Also to me there's another part to Martin Jr's "dream", which would be that any "dream" or "ideal" can be created and abandon but once it's shows up into the mind-even if was just a thought it stays an "ideal" or "dream". You can just forget it but if it shows up in your mind it can certainly appear in another. As that starts many begin to think of it and not all will just ignore it, some will keep it and influence it to multiply those who visualize the "dream". As we pursue our "dream" or "ideal it becomes something greater, stronger. And in the end it could come true. Though if it doesn't it still lingers waiting for the effort and persistence to rise and be heard once again.
MLK's dream was for people to not be judged by their color, but by how they acted and how they were as a person. Today, most of his dream has been achieved, though there still is some racism left today. Racial profiling is the main one. Today, some people are afraid to get on the same plane as someone who looks Middle Eastern. Today, MLK's dream has been partially completed as there still is minor racism.
@Lindsey like what you've said how if it weren't for Martin Jr's actions who knows what would become of us. Especially how you pointed out that is to do what you believe in even if it costs your life.
I agree with Caroline too. And I also agree with Jeremiah, he see's from my view too. :)
I think that MLK would be proud of what he has done for the african americans and if it weren't for him than who knows how many people would be fighting because he taught african americans to make peaceful protest and not to harm others. I think we should learn more about him and use him as a bigger role model in schools more. He played a huge part in stoping racism for african americans although there still is some today as thomas said.
I also agree with Jerimah.
MLK has done things that millions of other people feared to do and steped up for everyone even though he knew the consequences and helped change how millions of african americans live for the better.
MLK's dream has definitly been realized, even though we can still always do more and think about our actions towards other races. If MLK was still alive he would be very proud of the effort Americans have put into gaining racial balance. MLK day is an important day to remember his work and all the speeches he made to influence minds of those who opposed segregation.
I think that we have come very far since then. Yes some people are still racist but the majority of America isn't. I think Martin Luther King, Jr. would be very proud of America and himself from what has happened, where we all have equal rights. Where African Americans are treated the same as white people. I think it's very important to set aside a day to remember the work that the King has done to our country to this day. Without his work we would probably still be separated in everything we did. Or at least we wouldn't be as far into that equality as we are now. I think what we are doing right now, setting aside a day to remember the King, is a perfect way to remember his doings to America and how it changed our country forever. To me Martin Luther King day is a remembrance of how America was in the later times and how racism today is just so tiny of how it was back then. It makes me appreciate what the King did a little bit more.
Mlk was in my opinion was one of the
most influential men that has shaped our
country. He has given our country equality
under law which has given all the chance to
live life to their own likings. He was the spark
to our countries complete equality and I
believe should always be rememberd on
Mlk Day. Mlk was so determined to accomplish
his goals that he was killed for it.
I believe that without him we our country
would be a complete opposite of itself today.
Martin Luther King's dream today means really in my opion means nothing, because so many people really could care less about him. Some people would say that his dream is still alive because African Americans are treated better today, even better than most Whites.
I think MLK's mountain speech made so many minority groups believe in what they can achieve in life, knowing they will get to the "promise land."
I think if any person that has been discriminated in the past and rose from that spot, thought about what MLK said and achieved it. His speeches were so influential because just his voice brought people hope and helped them to work up to where they belong.
The video we saw really changed my view of Martin Luther King Jr. I think that since that day he changed the world. Yeah, racism still happends, but its not as bad as it was. If Martin Luther King Jr. was still alive today he should be very proud. Before the video that we saw I thought that Martin Luther King only was a little part of stopping some of the racism. But actually, he was a very large part of it. Like thomas said, about the 9/11 and how there has been more racial profiling. Racism hasn't stopped completely but it was worse a long time ago. In the other movie that we wached "The Last Song," was similar to the Martin Luther King movie. I think that Martin Luther King Jr. really changed the world and i believe what the movie said "you can kill the dreamer but you can't kill the dream" is 100%true. He really did make a difference.
Yes, I mean, how much more can we do? No matter what we do, problems will always exist, and we just have to deal with them the best way we can, even if we can't truly solve them for good.
I believe that we have come a long way since MLK started his marches, speeches, etc. Back then, African Americans could not even walk into a store without being thrown out or arrested. I agree with most of the bloggers. We're not done yet, but we're close. I think that if MLK were here, he would not be satisfied. There is still such thing as racial profiles and other stuff. I think some people in this world just don't get it. All MLK is trying to say here is that everybody is equal! Everybody has a personality and uniqueness and that shouldn't be destroyed by the way somebody looks. We are all born a different person and we should be PROUD of ourselves. MLK would agree that the world is not perfect, but people can start by being themselves and kind to others. What I've seen in those horrible videos about racism made me cry. It is not just for a living person to be treated like this. I think the people back then were just trying to make themselves feel better by taking it out on people that were different than them. Still- I mean seriously!- people of the 20th century! Even though MLK has passed, his dream doesn't end there. Us kids of the 21st century need to make things better and fix the mistakes of the past including racism. I think MLK would be really happy to see that happen!
Yes Kelsey, I see what you're saying and I agree. There's always room for improvement, and I know we've changed for the positive since then. You don't see stores that say "White Onlys" anymore. But, there is still racism in the world. Everyone will always have their opinions, but MLK would be proud to see what he has accomplished anyway.
I t personally think that altough like a lot of the previous commenters said which i agree with that at least the most of the African-American boundries have been broken down. I personally think Dr.King would be proud but however we must remember that he was not just interested in the African-American people but all people and I think he would be partially dis-approving on our countries current tolerance of Muslims,Hispanics, and other minorities and I think if he were alive today he'd be fighting for them as hard as he was during the civil rights movement.
Hi, it's Kathryn from 2nd period. I agree with Carleigh; MLK is right up there with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, JFK, etc. He was one of the most influential people in America's history. He launched a crusade for people's freedom and equality that can be likened to a nonviolent American Revolution. We have to realize that we have reached the "Promised Land" of racial equality, but there is still racial profiling, affirmative action in colleges with admission, and hate crimes. We can do all possible things to end this, and I believe someday we will, as a nation, make it to the "mountaintop".
When I watched the I have a dream speech
I felt extremely moved from12.30 to the end.
I feel that even though he died before the age
of 40 his legacy may last the longest. I think
it is important to remember Mlk on Mlk day
so everyone can remember his legacy.
I totally agree Carleigh on how MLK's legacy lasted the longest of any. There were many great people who tried to help make us all racially equal, but MLK's impact was the greatest on all of us.
@Stephen Parson
Even though problems reaccure we still have a chance to fight back against it!
I formost agree with some of you guys :D. If he were to be alive we would be a little bit happy because not everyone has equality.
I agree with basically what everybody else said about Martin Luther King. We have come a long way since 1963 when he gave His famous "I have a dream" speech in washington D.C. Like Thomas said, there is still racial profiling with many muslums and mexican-americans living southwest states. I think that Martin Luther King would be happy if he were still alive to know that america has made progress because of what he and many african-americans have done to stop racism in most parts in the United States
I really agree with Kyle Bennet
I agree with Sarah and Zoe. Dr.King can
never be forgotten he literally sparked the
movement that desegregated America. I think
no matter how many years go on without him
his message will still be clear. " You can
kill the dreamer but, you can't kill his dream."
his speech was good. The End
I agree with Rebekah- I think she makes a very good point that it's important that we have a day to honor Martin Luther King and all he has done to help us advance as a community.
I agree with J.C. There has been a lot of good change, and we have really come along in terms of racial profiling. I think that he would be very happy to see our world today because of how far it has come along.
I think everyone has a good point, and i think because of MLK that African Americans live a much better life now, becausse without him it wouldnt have been possible
Today Dr.King dream is taken for grandite because most young African Americans in today's society haven't experienced racism like Dr.King and the other Africann Americans in the late-mid 1900's. I believe Dr.King's dream has not been fulfilled to its full extent, even though mostly all Americans have equal rights, still some races have disadvantages that other races do not have to go through.
Hey it's Adrianna from 6th period! I just wanted to say like many people have already, between the two videos, I felt the most moved by the "I Have a Dream" speech. From Dr. King's rolling voice to parts of his speech, such as " let us not seek our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of
bitterness and hatred."
Like Jordan was saying, there are other races that still have disadvantages. Therefore, I believe we shouldn't just focus on african americans, but other races as well.
Post a Comment