Keepers of the Dream for Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.
Posted: Friday, January 16, 2009
by Avis Ward
GeoVi's Home for Pregnant Teens
Over the course of my life, people who were once called 'colored' have shared with me, what it means to be black in America. While some have used the prejudices, racism and discrimination heaped upon them as a crutch to do nothing, others have used them as a catalyst to achieve more.
It is difficult for this writer to not honor Dr. King during a weekend of celebrations highlighting his contributions to society during his lifetime. But just as I do not celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas only two days out of 365 but daily, it is also difficult not to recognize daily how far we as Americans have come concerning racial harmony without Dr. King coming to mind.
To live in the past does not allow healing and forgiveness or progress; however, we should look back to gauge how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. There is no doubt we have come a long way [regarding race relations in America] and it should be understood we still have a long way to go.
Euphoria was felt as I watched Jesse Jackson's tears the night Barack Obama gave his acceptance and victory speech as the next president of the United States. If at all possible, I wanted to believe the tears he shed were those of Dr. Martin L. King, but not exclusively. Many freedom fighters contributed to the rights of freedom for all but Dr. King was its ringleader during his time.
We are the keepers of the dream. To my fellow black Americans still stuck in the past when racial discord meant you were in a line for colored people, take a look around you. If you are still there, you must assign blame to yourself. As long as you blame others, you are giving them the power to heal you. Suppose they do not want you healed?
To the human race, accept blame for yourself, and then make a change. If you got yourself in it, you can get yourself out of it. If you did not get yourself in it, then seek God; get His help to bring yourself out of it.
Dr. Martin Luther King did both. He sought God and assigned blame to himself to bring about change. His prayers were answered. His dreams came true.
2009 Avis Ward of GeoVi's Home for Pregnant Teens
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Amen sister! What more could I say? Miss you much.Hugs, love and blessingsMichelle, thank you. I feel blessed. I've thought of you often and prayed for you when I did. I've missed you, too. Happy you stopped in and left a comment.
Much love, warm hugs and His blessings!
Avis, what a thoughtful tribute you have given to the life and legacy of Dr. King, a Christian determined, I believe, to be used of God for his country. Dr. King faced hate and discord with a vital faith in Christ and with peaceful determination and a vision of what could be. He was never paranoid; he knew exactly the risks he took and yet rose above the meanness and hatred not only with dignity but an unbreakable resolve. I am thankful he was able at least to catch a glimpse of the good fruit of his work. All Americans have been blessed, whether they realize it or not. I see much love, reason, heart, grace, and faith in your words.Love and blessings, JaneJane, you are a gifted writer. Much of your comments could be easily woven into this article. I admire you and your gift. Thank you for allowing your light to reflect the light of our heavenly Father. I appreciate you more than I say or perhaps even have shown lately. You come to mind often and a prayer is whispered on your behalf.
Our love and His blessings,
AvisThanks, Avis, for challenging me to become a keeper of the dream. For my part, I decided in 2004 to start Church For All, with the definite intention of challenging the Jesus people of my town to worship together, so that the hour of worship is no longer "the most segregated hour" in our town. ~mogama~A pleasure, mogama and thank you. Going on five years since you implemented the challenge in your town, I am curious to know how you've done. Have you written and posted about it here? I honour you for the work you do for Christ. Blessings!Thanks, Avis, for asking. We are gaining a foot hold, I believe. We moved into our own new building in April 2008, but more important than that a building, we are seeing God's brown, black and white children together worship our heavenly Father under the same roof every Sunday. If this was happening in Florida, California, or New York, it may not be such a big deal, but we're talking about Owensboro, Kentucky, a city which was the scene of the last public and legal lynching in the "civilized" world. No, I haven't written about the experience yet; I may one of these days. Nice suggestion by you. ~mogama~
This is an incredible piece, Avis. Thank you so much.Thank you, Ken. I'm delighted you thought so. You are very welcome.
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