What has become one of the most recognized speeches in American history almost didn't happen. On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had finished addressing a crowd of 250,000 at the Lincoln Memorial and went to sit down. But a fellow pastor called out, "Tell them about your dream, Martin."
Without preparation, the civil rights leader rose and delivered a second speech, and one for the ages, declaring "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be engulfed, every hill shall be exalted and every mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together...with this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."
At yesterday's presidential inauguration, Rev. Lorenzo Sewell invoked Dr. King's words in the spirit of the slain civil rights activist, rehearsing in dramatic fashion the now-famous finale, “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” President Donald Trump challenged the nation to "Strive to make his dream a reality, to make his dream come true" in some of his first words upon assuming the presidency for a second time.
Indeed, we all must do our part to carry out Dr. King's dream of a better tomorrow, a dream that goes back to the founding of our nation. Our children will soon inherit the society that we have helped to shape, good and bad alike. Let us remember that they are watching us, for what we leave them will become their reality and-- our legacy.