How far are we from reaching Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream?

More than 48 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his 'I Have A Dream' speech in Washington, D.C. Less than five years later, in a year of bloody assassinations that stole a lot of hope—or should I say dreams—in America, he was killed.  But I’m guessing everybody reading this will know those facts. I wonder, though, how many will take a moment and consider his words.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

Monday, January 16, 2012, we will once again celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., by doing what we Americans do best when it comes to celebrating—most of us will take the day off from work as part of a nationally-sanctioned holiday.  There will be marches and performances, concerts and television shows. But will most of us even notice? Will we stop and think about his words, his dream? Will we care? Will you?

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have no doubt that Martin Luther King, Jr., had his flaws and I’m sure there are many who would disagree with some of his positions, particularly those he took in his last few years. However, as far as I’m concerned he is America’s last truly great man. He is America’s last hero and I look forward to the day when his dream finally does come true. 

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I read the lines above and am dumbfounded by the idea of a world in which children could not hold hands because of their skin color. No matter how much I know it is true, just like with the Holocaust and other horrors humans inflict on each other, I just can’t even begin to fathom what exists in somebody’s heart that leads them to the hatred necessary to go there.

I, unfortunately, don’t think we’re really that much further along than we were all those years ago. Yes, overt racism, discrimination, and segregation are fortunately largely a thing of the past in most parts of the country. Unfortunately, a color blind society—what really should be a label-free society—seems just as far away as it was decades ago. In some respects, we are probably more label-conscious now than we ever have been.

Articles about individuals arrested for crimes report on their skin color. Relevance, please? More ink is spilled on whether Americans will vote for a Mormon or a Catholic than whether the candidates’ policy proposals actually make sense. A white candidate for President from the South can continually refer to the President he hopes to run against solely by his last name, rather than as President Obama.  Is it related to race? I don’t know, but I’ve never seen another candidate do such a thing, so I wonder. 

Andrew Sullivan, a gay libertarian who used to be a strong advocate for the Republican Party and who writes extensively on his blog (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com), can’t seem to get away from the need to label people based on their sexuality as he endlessly cries for equality. As long as labels are necessary, equality is an impossibility.

So, here’s my dream. I look forward to a day when we are all Americans, equal under the laws and in the minds of each other. I look forward to a day when a person’s religious beliefs are irrelevant to their qualification for office. I look forward to a day when “gay or straight” isn’t a part of our vocabulary. I look forward to the day when color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and every other defining characteristic just don't matter anymore. I look forward to the day when we are human beings first, second, and last.

It’s a pipe dream. I know that. But without pipe dreams where would we be?

Here’s a more simple dream: that everybody take a moment on Monday to read something from Martin Luther King, Jr., and to stop and think about it.  Pipe dream?  Maybe, but maybe if everybody took one small step towards tolerance and equality...

Well, it’s a thought.