It happened again. Dr. King’s most famous speech, commonly known as “I Have a Dream,” was co-opted in a way that distorted the original meaning and purpose of that iconic piece. At the recent Presidential inauguration, a pastor gave a rousing prayer comprised mostly of a reenactment of the closing part of Dr. King’s speech from the August 28, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Unlike Dr, King’s speech, the prayer was not a prophetic call to racial justice and equality. Rather it was a celebration of an incoming administration that has already acted to eliminate programs of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well as “discriminatory equity ideology” in favor of “colorblindness.” The following words of Dr. King from his speech would be in violation of the executive orders issued since last week:
In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the ‘unalienable Right’ of ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’ It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’…We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.
Dr. King’s “dream” was not about achieving a generic “colorblindness” but working for justice in light of the reality and consequences of systemic racism. The racial disparities in healthcare, housing, incarceration, and generational wealth that still exist sixty two year later reveal the need to continue that work. In light of the increasing pressure put on federal workers and public educators, it is essential for the Church to be a resource for historical truth telling that calls us to continue Dr. King’s actual dream – the journey toward racial justice and equality.
The video posted below includes the full “I Have a Dream” speech. Please take the time to watch and listen. It is the best way to guard against the many attempts to distort the dream.