We must keep the dream alive

He was born Jan. 15, 1929, a son of a preacher. He died at the hand of an assassin's bullet on April 4, 1968, standing on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tenn. He was a powerful, iconic leader in the struggle for civil rights.

This Monday, we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, struggles, legacy and his dream - a dream we must keep alive or it will slip back into darkness; a dream that all men (as in, every human) are equal; to be judged not on the color of skin, religion, nationality and, most recently, sexual orientation, but on the content of character. Some of these words are his and some my own. The struggle for equality must include not only race, but the others I have mentioned. This is what I believe he meant by the words "all men."

Just as it states in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." It is a founding principle of our nation, but not always practiced. The curse of racial segregation was one that made those great words hollow and faint. This is what Dr. King fought against. This is what drove him and others to take on segregation, to rid this nation of that curse and make those words ring out solid and true. And he paid the highest price for trying to achieve that dream - his own life.

He and the others who took part in this cause didn't do so with bombs. They didn't do it with bullets or mob violence. Martin Luther King Jr. was inspired by the teachings of Gandhi to pursue nonviolent activism. He used peaceful protest and civil disobedience to achieve a worthy cause, and it worked. But it took years and it was not without pain, suffering and struggles to gain equal rights for African Americans. This would spread to affect all races and creeds in America, and later on other nations in the world.

The term "separate but equal" was tossed into the trash bin of history. Signs proclaiming "white only" and "black only" were taken down. A curse was lifted, men and women who were treated as second class or worse could now walk the streets, go to schools, eat at a diner or just drink from a water fountain in freedom. They were free to be human beings.

Dr. King used words and speeches along with the marches he and others bravely took part in to make the dream a reality. He used powerful words and never a bullet or bomb to make his point. But the work is not over. The dream is not complete. There are others out there struggling for their rights.

A new civil rights movement is under way, inspired by the pioneering voice of one who came before them. I'm talking of the gay and lesbian community and the gay rights movement. Theirs is also a civil and equal rights movement to achieve what others had fought for when Dr. King was alive. They are Americans, too, and deserve the right to be who they are, to live as they are without fear, without judgment, without prejudice and without hate.

And like those days in the 1960s, this current movement stirs up a lot emotions from all sides. Some for religious reasons, some out of fear. Even though I'm not gay, I am also not blind to this struggle. I see this struggle as similar to the one I witnessed as a young boy. It is just a little more complicated. There isn't a gay or lesbian skin color to distinguish one from the other. No signs out there saying a drinking fountain is only for "straight people" or "gay people." However, they are treated by some as less than human.

And like those marchers who walked with Martin Luther King Jr., they are speaking out and marching, too. In the face of many who hate them for who they are, they are asking not for "special" rights, as some wrongly contend, but just for equal rights as enjoyed by the rest of Americans. For that is what they are - Americans - and most importantly, human beings.

I know many here will disagree with my opinion. Many will disagree in the strongest of terms. As an American and as a veteran, I feel strongly that this group of people is endowed with the same civil rights I enjoy as a straight man. Otherwise, the very principles I swore an oath to uphold, to defend and, to the very people I pledged to serve - the citizens of this nation - would be rendered useless if I didn't speak out.

Dr. King was a man I greatly admire and civil rights are an issue that speaks deeply to me. I listened to his speeches. I heard them live. I cried when the news announced his death. I was only a boy nearly 7 years old and didn't understand it all, but the power of his words and acts still live within me to this day.

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that one day all men would be equals. All humans are equal - never to be judged for the color of their skin, their nationality, their religion or their sexual orientation, but rather on the content of their character. Monday, we celebrated his life and his dream. We will all mourn his death as the price made in the cause of freedom and pledge to keep that dream alive in our hearts and minds.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.