In Dreams

When asked, rhetorically I assume, by Yahoo "What do we know about Martin Luther King Jr.?" I chose to accept the challenge more or less literally. Little things such as the date of his birth being January fifteenth, not the twenty-first, and the fact in spite of the best intent of Bono and U2 to remind us, he was assassinated in the afternoon of April 4, 1968, not "early morning." I know that he had a dream. I know that the Golden State Warriors are giving away Baron Davis backpacks today on their special MLK afternoon game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Happily, it would seem, they will not be giving away MLK bobbleheads.
As our most recently adopted national holiday, it is sad comfort to find that the three-day weekend that now arrives around the date of Doctor King's birth has already become more of a celebration of consumerism than the dream he once shared with us. When afforded an extra day, Americans head to the malls, right? Many do, but there is still an air of hope. Across the country, there are thousands joining in marches and community service inspired by the work of of the late Reverend. This is as it should be. A man who reminded us that "We are not makers of history. We are made by history."
It is also important to remember that forty years ago, an unpopular war raged in a foreign country, and the country seemed divided in ways we had only begun to acknowledge. Martin Luther King was a very unpopular voice at the time. Though his life ended in violence, the violence did not end. He did not die for our sins. He died while making an appearance on behalf of striking Memphis sanitation workers. He spoke of justice and equality, holding us all accountable for the words in the Declaration of Independence: "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.'"
Enjoy the day, and remember the dream.