Page 2, Portland O bserver, Janu ary 13, 1988, Section II
The Dream
I
H ave
a
D re a m
It was on August 28, 1963, that Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his electrifying
"I have a dream" speech. It concluded the March on Washington.
f
This is our hope. This is the fa ith th a t I go back to the
S o uth w ith . W ith th is fa ith w e w ill be able to hew o u t o f the
o back to M ississippi, go back to Alabam a, go back to
S outh Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Loui-
siana, go back to th e slum s and gh e tto s o f our N o rth
m ou n ta in o f despair a stone o f hope. W ith th is fa ith w e w ill be
able to tra n sfo rm the jangling discord o f o u r n a tio n in to a
ern cities, know in g th a t so m e h o w th is situatio n can and w ill be
b e a u tifu l sym phon y o f b ro th e rh o o d . W ith th is fa ith w e w ill be
changed. Let us not w a llo w in the valley o f despair.
I say to you today, m y frie n d , so even th o u g h w e face the
d iffic u ltie s o f to d a y and to m o rro w , I still have a dream .
able to w o rk to g e th e r, to pray to g e th e r, to stru g g le to g e th e r,
to go to jail to g e th e r, to stand up fo r freedom to g e th e r, kn o w in g
It is a
th a t w e w ill be free one day.
This w ill be the day . . . . This w ill be th e day w h e n all o f
dream deeply rooted in the A m erican dream .
I have a dream th a t one day this nation w ill rise up and live
G od's children w ill be able to sing w ith new m eaning, " M y
o u t the true m eaning o f its creed: "W e hold these tru th s to be
c o u n try 'tis o f thee, sw eet land o f liberty, o f thee I sing.
self-evid ent; th a t all men are created e q u a l.”
I have a dream th a t one day on the red hills o f Georgia the
sons o f form er slaves and the sons o f fo rm e r slave ow ners w ill
Land
w h ere m y fath ers died, laqd o f the pilgrim s pride, fro m every
m ountainside , let freedom ring,
and if A m erica is to be a great
nation — th is m ust becom e true.
So, let freedom ring — fro m the pro d ig io u s h illto p s o f
be able to sit dow n to g e th e r at the table o f brotherhood ; I have
a dream . . .
N ew Ham pshire, let freedom ring; fro m th e m ig h ty m ou n ta in s
o f N ew York, let freedom ring; fro m the h e ig htening A lleghenies
T ha t one day even the state o f M ississippi, a state sw e lte r
ing w ith the heat o f injustice, sw eltering w ith the heat o f o pp re s
sion, w ill be tran sform ed in to an oasis o f freedom and justice;
o f Pennsylvania!
Let freedom
I have a dream . . .
T h a t m y fo u r little ch ild re n w ill one day live in a natio n
w h ere they w ill not be ju dged by the co lor o f their skin but the
C olorado!
Let freedom ring fro m the curvaceous slopes o f C alifornia!
co n te n t o f their character; I have a dream to d a y . . .
I have a dream th a t one day, d o w n in Alabam a, w ith its
o f Georgia!
—
Let freedom ring fro m Loo ko u t M o untain o f Tennessee.
Let freedom ring fro m every hill and m ole hill o f M ississippi.
ring
But not o n ly th a t:
vicious racists, w ith its go ve rn o r having his lips dripp ing w ith the
w o rd s o f in terpo sition and n u llifica tio n , one day rig h t there in
fro m
the
snow capped
Rockies
Let freedom ring fro m S tone M o u n ta in
From every m ountainside , let freedom ring, and w h en th is
happens. . .
W hen w e a llow freedom to ring, w h en w e let it ring fro m
A labam a little black boys and black girls w ill be able to join
hands w ith the little w h ite boys and w h ite girls as sisters and
every village and every ham let, fro m every state and every city,
brothers; I have a dream to d a y . . .
I have a dream th a t one day every valley shall be exalted,
w e w ill be able to speed up th a t day w h en all o f G od's children,
black men and w h ite m en, Je w s and G entiles, P rotestants and
every hill and m ountain shall be made lo w , the rough places
w ill be made plain and crooked places w ill be made straight,
C atholics, w ill be able to join hands and sing in the w o rd s o f the
old Negro spiritual, "F ree at last!
and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
Free at last!
Thank God
a lm ig h ty, w e are free at la s ti"
see it to g e th e r.
In observance of
MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
“ 1 V y onviolence is the answer
to the crucial political and moral
questions o f our time; the need
fo r man to overcome oppression
and violence without resorting to
oppression and violence.
M an must evolve fo r all human
conflict a method which rejects
revenge, aggression and retaliation.
The foundation o f such a method
is love.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I still have a dream today that one day the industries
o f Appalachia will be revitalized, and the empty
stomachs o f Mississippi will be filled, and brotherhood
will be more than a fe w words at the end o f a prayer, but
rather the first order o f business on every legislative
agenda.
Martin Luther King, Jr. — 1968
BANK
KNOW S
"Member of FDIC"
"Equal Opportunity Employer'
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