I have a DREAM Today!

I have lived in the Atlanta area for over four years. I always meant to go and see the King Center, but it was my six year old niece who got me there.

When she heard I would be moving, she wanted to come back and sleep in her room again, and she specifically requested to see Dr. King's house.

Her teacher had come here last year, and shared photos with the class. Of course we took her.

As we toured the Center and his childhood home, hearing the stories of his family from our wonderful guide, Marty (on the right), Dr. King's famous words kept echoing inside me.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

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."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

Thank you, Dr. King, for your insight and valor. Thank you for your courage to stand up, and to lead others to do so as well. Thank you for your commitment. For not giving up when you were jailed. Thank you, sir, for your sacrifice.

For a full text of the "I Have a Dream speech, please go to American Rhethoric. For many years I have read the speech on his birthday. What a wonderful inspiration it is!

If you have a holiday today, please remember it is a day on and not a day off. Do something to help another person. And remember this great man and all he stood for.