Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: realizing the dream

I feel a bit like Samuel in that Old Testament story, called before my master to tell the truth about what God has said to me and to tell the whole truth, sparing nothing.

I've been given a difficult message to deliver, so please forgive my stumbling attempts to not offend. When I first started to think about what I wanted to say today, I wondered if there could ever really be a post-racial America. Some people have claimed that the election of Barack Obama puts us into a post-racial world. I maintain that his election is evidence of progress, but much of the opposition to him is fueled both by overt and subtle racism. We have come far, but there is a long way to go.

When I was in eighth grade, I was given an opportunity to participate in the local competitions for the National Forensic League. I guess my teachers thought I had a talent at debate and public speaking. For my first competition, I chose the "I have a Dream" speech. At 12 years old, I edited the speech down to only five minutes and memorized it. I did well enough to win the school event, the city event, the state event and took third place at the regional level. As thrilling as that was, what I remember most about the experience is the speech itself and how much the ideas in this speech have influenced who I am and who I try to be.

I am the child of an immigrant from South America and I have been confused about race since I was a small boy, because to be Hispanic in America is complicated. Some white people do not consider any Hispanic or Latino to be white. Yet, for the indigenous peoples of this continent, the Spanish were the original white European invaders. I have been rejected by some white people and I have been rejected by Latinos who distrust anyone without an accent. Add the discrimination based on sexual orientation to these experiences and is it really any wonder that I am moved by Dr. King's dream?

There are places in this country where little black children and little white children see each other as brothers and sisters, but not everywhere. Being judged by the content of our character seems to be a tricky proposition in a world where character is not determined by truth or behavior, but by marketing and spin. Have you watched the presidential campaign debates?

In our political process, truth and fact have been degraded into who can pay for the most repetitive sound bite. Even Dr. King's soaring rhetoric has its blind spot. It bothers me that the "I Have a Dream" speech addresses race in simple dualistic terms, as though it is only a black and white issue. King's list of dreams is limited to the reconciliation of blacks and whites, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, but where are the Native peoples or Asians? Where are our Muslim brothers and sisters in this dream? Ask the LGBT population how far there is to go. Ask women. For some of us, equality and freedom still seem very far away.

When you hear a Russian accent in the media of movies and TV, is the character speaking a hero or villain? How does the propaganda mill treat Muslims these days? What does it even mean to be beyond race? We live in a community here in the Mat-Su Valley where a vocal minority is dominated by fear, ignorance and money. I have overheard some awful things said by folks while waiting in line at the grocery store or post office. I heard one man say that all "ragheads" should be shot. Another time a woman muttered to herself that the Spanish speakers in front of her should use English.

Disowning personal responsibility has become an art. We cannot piously observe this day in memory of Martin while remaining silent in the grocery line. But often we do remain silent because of our own fear of conflict or violence. We remember what happened to King, Kennedy, Gandhi and Jesus. It is difficult to volunteer to be that target. That is why we honor those names. They were that brave. They were that secure in the truth.

One of the reasons I studied cultural anthropology in college was to look at how different groups of humans found different answers to solve the same problems. Originally, I did this to try and reconcile my internal conflict between what most religions taught me about homosexuality, as compared to what my experience of honest living and being meant. What I gained from the study of other cultures is that there is no single right way for humans to live and no single right answer to solve all of our problems. It is actually our diversity and adaptability that make us one of the most successful creatures life has ever produced. I've come to understand that a post-racial world does not mean making every race the same. Being equal does not mean being the same. Our differences are important, and valuable.

Moses was able to lead his people to the Promised Land, but he never entered it himself. Are we the ones who have traveled through the wilderness right to the edge of the Promised Land, but cannot enter in, or are we making the choice to take that step over the boundary? Every day presents us with opportunities to sustain a world of fear or to realize the dream. It takes courage and love to say out loud to the man who wants to kill all "ragheads" that his statement is just mean and ignorant. Or, to suggest to the woman who speaks English-only that her life would be enlarged if she made the effort to learn another language herself.

I have a dream of a world where young LGBT children of every race and creed are welcomed and loved exactly as they are, where loneliness, self-hatred and suicide are no more. I have a dream where Republicans and Democrats work together for the common good. I have a dream where the wealthiest 1 percent don't hoard their wealth for their own private indulgence, but use it to better the lives of everyone.

I have a dream where the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness and creating good jobs does not mean destroying the Earth. I have a dream where people of different denominations and different religions and no religion at all can live and work together in peace.

I have a dream where women get equal pay for equal work and have control over their own bodies. I have a dream of time when every child born is supported through their whole lives, not just the nine months of gestation.

I have a dream of returning to the original motto of this great nation, "E Pluribus Unum" - out of many, one. During those moments of opportunity that we face this week, may we be given the grace, courage and strength to realize the dream and enter the Promised Land.

Jaime Rodriguez shared this talk at Church of the Covenant in Palmer Jan. 15.

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