When Dr. King was shot, I was still in high school in Europe. A tremendous sadness came over me. Soon afterward, in 1972 I worked in a garage in Statesboro Ga and I was accosted by one of the owners, extremely angry with me because I had a black customer. Civil rights work could get you into trouble. You might even find out many years later that your career path was trimmed because you chose to promote "non-white" employees in your department. I'm not black but since then my family has evolved, it's now a rainbow family, but often I feel like things are standing still or going backward. A huge amount of work is left to do, one thing that needs major attention is uneven and poor education. History is poorly taught, many students are grossly ignorant about the past and hate is passed on in families. That is how we end up with Presidents like Trump.
There is an old proverb that warns against judging books by their covers. However many times our parents might have told us this, America still seems to have trouble with this proverb. Indeed, while slavery has been abolished, and the Jim Crow laws laid to rest, Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of a non-biased society, a society that sees past surface differences, is still not yet realized. In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, King expressed his desire that “one day, every valley will be exalted, the hills and mountains made low. The rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight.” In other words, his dream was not only to unify blacks and whites, but to unify all races, genders, and sexual orientations, so that no man could stand above others, and that no man could lie below others. Admittedly, in some places, racism is all but forgotten; if Dr. King could take a walk inside one of my school’s classrooms, he would find whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics learning together in unity. However, our nation has not yet achieved a respect for LGBTQ people, and in some areas, discrimination of all sorts remains as strong as ever. In order to fully recognize Dr. King’s faraway dream, we must fully abolish the discriminations around race, sexual orientation, and gender, and recognize all people as our equals. In order to fully recognize Dr. King’s dream, we must stop judging people by their semblances.
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Like most students in America in elementary school, I learned about Martin Luther King Jr. along with other African American figures in history such as Rosa Parks. From my teachers, I learned that Martin Luther King Jr. and other people fought for equality. But the most memorable moment of Martin Luther King Jr. was the “I have a dream” speech. Being an eloquent speaker, he was able to spread his message to the world talking about equality. Martin Luther King Jr. never gave up, made it all the way to the top, and was able to inform the world about his feelings and thoughts. Through his speech and non-violent protests, he left a legacy where all races would be treated as equal. To me, his legacy is just a beginning, since it was not fully fulfilled yet. If Martin Luther King Jr. saw the world today, he would be half satisfied and half disappointed, because racism still affects African Americans. Racism and discrimination are the main reasons why there are still anti-racism movements such as “black lives matter”. Although African Americans are not as mistreated or discriminated as they were before Martin Luther King Jr, they are still being discriminated to this day. At this point I do not think his legacy was carried out as planned, but I feel that with time and more anti-racism protests, Martin Luther King Jr’s. legacy will be fulfilled.
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Hearing Martin Luther King Jr.'s name, the first thought that comes to mind is he is a person that everyone, despite race or religion, can admire. As someone who is intrigued by civil rights, I resonate watching documentaries or reading speeches of his. I admit that I have not always had an interest for civil rights. I remember my 9th grade teacher made us listen and annotate MLK's "I have a Dream" speech. I recall slumping down in my chair annoyed. When I started to watch the news more, I realized I too face similar, but far less extreme, struggles to those of an African Americans.
If Dr. King could see America now, I believe he would be disappointed. Despite overcoming barriers like public segregation, there is still a divide between whites and minorities. Jails are filled with a majority African Americans. The heavily policed ghetto and hood are a cesspool for violence. The Black Lives Matter movement and MLK’s movement both struggle/d to have a definite message. Some individuals choose to use the movement as a driving force for black power, something MLK did not support: “A doctrine of black supremacy is as evil as a doctrine as a doctrine of white supremacy.” We are manipulating King’s dream as a way to justify the way we address social issues.
Unlike young Gabriella Valderrama, I know not everyone is equal. That is why the younger generations must continue to fight for social justice until it is reached.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his stories of his fight for equality at a time when America was extremely segregated has been taught to me before I could even understand what "race"was.
When I think of Dr. King, I think of the importance of equality. One of my favorite quotes is, “A doctrine of black supremacy is as evil as a doctrine of white supremacy.” In the black community, many hate "white supremacists" and their actions towards people of color. Because we hate the way they disrespect us, sometimes we reciprocate their actions. What makes it ok for black people to act the same towards white people as they do to us? Isn't it just as bad? How can we expect to be treated as equals if we aren’t putting in the effort to do so? After all, we need to treat one another how we’d like to be treated.
If Dr. King saw the U.S. now I think he'd be proud, yet disappointed. Yes, people of color have gained more rights but, that doesn't mean we're seen in the eyes of others as equal. The unity despite police brutality cases, bullying, and other acts of hatred towards oppressed races prove we've taken steps forward towards treating each other equally as intended, but we've also taken steps back towards our past.
Dr. King once said, “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism.. that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.” I too believe that one day we’ll all see one another as brothers and sisters.
Like most people, I first learned about Dr. King when I was in elementary school. I was introduced to him and many other people such as Rosa Parks during Black History month. My teachers would tell me that they stood up and fought for equal rights.The main thing that was surrounded in the teachings of who he was,was his “I have a dream speech.”He stood in front of thousands so blacks wouldn't have to “be seared in the flames of withering injustice.”
Dr.King was “a voice of anguish for millions of people.” He never gave up fighting for equal rights. As Chinika Ruffin stated he was “someone who wanted everyone to get along and be empowered by his speech.”He was a man who wasn’t going to sit around and wait for change but instead start the movement that initiated change.
After reading his obituary I learned that his house was set on fire during the 381-day boycott. Segragontolist bombed his house because of the success of the retaliation of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Dr. King along with other negros stood up for their rights and fought against the racial segregation of public transportation.
If Dr. Martin Luther King could see the United States now, he would have mixed emotions. In his speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial he said that one day he hopes we will rise up and live the creed that “men are created equal.”There has definitely been a change in rights for african americans since Martin Luther King was alive but today we still live in a society full of racism.
I agree. Progress has been made and barriers have been broken, but the problem of civil justice for all people still remains, I am sure he would anticipate that. I believe that King would base his emotions on how we handle society's modern obstacles. Dr. King's life and legacy, that includes hardships and antagonists against the long struggle and thrive that turned out to many successes, should be well-known, as a reminder that we must continue to fight against injustices, to carry on his legacy. Tragedies that occur to us just as they had for Dr. King, remind us that we are still far from done.
I first learned about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in elementary school. We started with the basics of who he was and what he did, then built upon that as the years went on. We learned more about his life in detail. Personally, I know the basics of what he did, but I am no expert. I know that he fought for rights among all. Dr. King wanted to make sure that no matter what color you were, you had the same rights as anyone else. H fought to end discrimination and extinguish it for good. Most people know him for his "I have a dream" speech. He wrote this speech to tell of what he hoped to come in the future where everyone had the same rights. In the end, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. started a movement that changed the future for the best.
I first learned about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in elementary school. We started with the basics of who he was and what he did, then built upon that as the years went on. We learned more about his life in detail. Personally, I know the basics of what he did, but I am not an expert. I know that he fought for rights among all. Dr. King wanted to make sure that no matter what color you were, you had the same rights as anyone else. He fought to end discrimination and extinguish it for good. Most people know him for his "I have a dream" speech. He wrote this speech to tell of what he hoped to come in the future where everyone had the same rights. Overall, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. started a movement that changed the future for the better.
Dr. King made an extraordinary impact on society. Black people were going through such hardship it was enough to break someone. Imagine that, your life, what you can do and what you can be; decided by your skin color. But still, even though being abused and oppressed, he still remained calm, didn't resort to violence and stood strong for what he stood for. Dr. King should always be remembered for that.
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His legacy means Everything to me.
When I think about Dr. King, I think about how he helped America become an integrated nation. What resonated the most to me when reading Dr. King's speech was when he said, "Some of you have knives, and I ask you to put them up. Some of you have arms, and I ask you to put them up. Get the weapon of non-violence, the breastplate of righteousness, the armor of truth, and just keep marching." This showed how Dr. King was against the idea of using violence to achieve his goal of integration. I wish I knew more about what went on inside of his brain when he put his inspirational speeches together and what feelings he must have felt when telling the nation about his opinions and views. Dr. King's legacy is incredibly amazing. His work has brought all people alike to join together and learn, work, play, and live in unity. It has brought peace to our nation and has allowed today's society to be an integrated peaceful place for all people. I think that Dr. King would feel mixed emotions when viewing today's society. He would be very happy to see that we now live in an integrated society. However, I do feel like he would be angered at seeing the discrimination against immigrants (both legal and illegal) and how families are torn apart as family members are deported back to their home countries. I think people can still learn from Dr. King in the way that opinions and views can be portrayed by words. Not everything must be fought out physically.
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Racism is still a big part of the United States still, but we've gotten past a lot of barriers. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the first people to really make an impact on it. After him things started to change but they obviously haven’t changed enough, but it's getting better. HIs speeches were the big things that brought attention to the world about racism. HIs legacy has made a big impact on the United States as a whole.
I think MLK would be appalled by current day America. I think he would have been ashamed of the Obama years. The using of blacks for political gain by the democrats and by so called black leaders. I think he would be shocked to see very little progress economically within the black community. He would be saddened by the growing lack of respect towards the Police by the black community. I think his stomach would be sickened by the "black culture" in general. From the music to the dress to the attitude.