"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."
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fifty years ago today these words were spoken by a great man. A man who was willing to stand up for what he believed in, someone who was willing to fight for what he knew to be right in his heart and in his soul. The true greatness of this man was not in his words, or even in his actions, no, the true greatness was in the perceived lack of action. He fought not with bat or bullet. Nor with fist, or fire. He fought with a mirror, a mirror that he used to reflect the images of hate and inequality back to others in a way that stripped down all the stereotypes and fears. His use of passive non violence showed himself and his followers not as a group of attackers trying to rob others of what they already had, but as victims, who were just trying to claim what was rightfully theirs. He was able to strip away the fear and the hatred that so many wore around them like armor, he showed them that there was far more that made them similar then there would ever be that made them different. Without this fear America was able to take a step towards fulfilling our creed. We took a step that day, but sadly fifty years later there are still more steps we need to take.
We have taken strides towards equality but we as a society have become complacent. A cloak of apathy now surrounds us. We care more about who is playing a superhero, or what a former child star did on stage then we do about the inequality we see around us. Far too often we say things are "good enough" we look at others who are still fighting for the cause as opportunists who are trying to make up stories for their own benefit and profit. We look at the President and say "See! He is African American, that proves that racism is dead." without taking the time to really look to see if racism is truly dead.
Racism isn't dead so long as African American's are given less opportunities for promotions and raises at jobs. Racism isn't dead so long as minorities are stopped and searched by police, followed and shot by strangers because they "looked suspicious". Racism isn't dead as long as people are adamant about building a giant fence across Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants. Racism isn't dead, we just need to acknowledge it when we see it. Stop sweeping it under the rug. Don't let others get away with it, call people on it. Hold up the mirror and show them how truly ugly these thoughts and actions are. Strip away the fear and hate, and help them take a step towards equality.
All men are created equal... An incredible thought and a worthy goal. A world with equals, that is a world I want to live in. A world where people aren't afraid to be different. A world where people don't have to hide who they are, or who they love. A world where people don't consider suicide as a better alternative then living as a gay man or woman. A world where finding out that someone feels like they were born the wrong sex is met with understanding and kindness and not met with scorn and jokes at their expense on the internet. A world of tolerance... What a world that would be.
I think we have come a long way in fifty years, we have done more in the pursuit of equality after this speech then in the 187 years of our nations history before it. I am not here to bash America, or to diminish what we have achieved but I have come to shine a mirror. To reflect back to others the view of those that are still fighting for what was promised to them at the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I know my words will never reach as many as Dr. King's and I am ok with that. I don't have to touch millions, I just have to touch one. If one person takes a second look at the world around them, I have achieved my goal, if one person struggling to find acceptance reads my words and is given new strength knowing that others fight for them, I will have achieved my goal. I seek to shake off the cloak of apathy, to focus on the urgency of the moment, for that is all we truly have, one moment, the here and the now. We can learn from the past but can't change it. We plan for the future but can't predict it. We have one moment to change the world. One chance to create a world of Hope. That is the world I want to live in. That is the world I will work for in every moment I have left. I might never see this world, but I will make sure that my children will live in a world that is at least a little closer to the world I see each night in my dreams.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
Troy Mangum
