As young American girls and boys, we have grown up reading and hearing about the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
We have all heard his most famous speech played over and over in history classes and cited in reference to creating a diverse country. From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963, King, partially reading and partially impromptu speaking, declared aloud that he, in fact, had a dream.
Those words, and King's ideals, have forever remained in the hearts of civil rights activists as they have continued King's legacy long after his death. In reality, that speech was just one moment in a long, effort-filled journey King made to push for equal rights for all Americans. We remember him not for that one speech, but for the effort he made in progressing America toward a brighter and more equal future.
Just over 40 years later, work has slowly progressed for gaining King a spot in one of the country's most prestigious areas: The National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The concept has been in the works for almost 21 years: to give King his rightful spot in the line of leaders on the Mall. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, which is now heading the project, knows that its efforts are far from over.
According to KRT, the foundation is roughly one-third of the way to its goal of the $100 million it will take to build the memorial, which was approved by Congress in 1996. It was not until 1999 that an agreement on the memorial's location was reached.
Clearly, any tribute or memorial to honor any leader on the National Mall is not an easy process. When the memorial breaks ground on its tentative date in 2006, it will become the first monument on the Mall to honor a black man. An idea that, for whatever reason, has continued to be difficult to achieve for all these years.
Just ask Muncie.
It took until this past year for the city council to officially declare the new home for Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., and the decision is still being argued and grumbled over by handfuls even today.
It is blatantly obvious that, even in 2005, the equal rights is still not a language fluently spoken in the United States of America.
Things have changed, but only minorly from the days when King first took a stand with so many other victims of racism and discrimination.
And that is why, in this "modern era," we still celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: not the man, but his ideals. It is a reminder that, even as far as we have come, we still have an incredibly long way to go. And until then, King's famous wishes remain all the same.
Just a dream.
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