Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" Speech

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

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!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!3

Children's Corner: Poetry (I, Too, Sing America)

I, Too, Sing America

by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.

Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then.

Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

Ms. Child Advocate

What About The Children We Failed

 What About The Children We Failed

       As someone who as has always taken a keen eye to learning and education I must say that we have made many strides within the last decade alone, but we cannot forget those who where victims of the ignorance of those we elected as leaders. There are many different programs and initiatives aimed at helping our children to learn; The No Child Left Behind Act, Common Core State Standards, and the Race to the Top, are mostly known and publicized and while they all have their different purposes they were still put into place for the betterment of our children which is our future. But what has been bothering me dearly is not no one is thinking about those children who fell through the cracks; the students 'pushed out' of schools by educators who weren't willing to do what was necessary ( which could vary from talking to calling in parents or involving social services for the betterment of the family). They instead opted for the easy way out which was to either watch our students self destruct or give them a little push by showing them how little you actually care about their educations, well beings, and futures. On the mainland the 'school to prison pipeline' has raised questions and concerns all over the nation and has sparked nation wide controversies detailing the insignificant/ petty infractions that are being used to incarcerate our youths and keep our race and our children on the stagnant level and path of destruction that they've witnessed and come to know so well.

       Students shouldn't be allowed to make a rash decision and have that hinder their lives forever. School fights, while not encouraged, aren't uncommon so why should a fight in school lead to an arrest for assault? Why aren't there any school policies that dictate what should happen when such an incident takes place, and why would the police become involved in a matter that should be settled by those who have students best interest at heart, instead of those whose sole goal within their careers are to make arrests and incarcerate? Why are so many of our youths spending their precious lives wasting away on corners, in gutters, and back ally ways drinking, smoking, abusing drugs, and everything else nonconstructive? Because its the place we have left them to be. Its because we as society didn't demand that a program be set in place to detour these youths, teach them the right way, and give them the tools necessary to teach another. What we did demand was lower crime rates instead of more public schools and books for those already in place. We didn't demand a new education commissioner when our high school drop out rates where the highest and students tested the lowest, we demanded retroactive pay and tax returns ( of which many people are still waiting for). And in a time when education should be on the forefront seeing as to how our economy is steadily declining and our best hopes are through tourism and rum to some how magically make our ever rising deficit go away our elected officials, to be specific the Government House and The Legislature are too busy 'picking up and dropping words' at each other via press releases and comments made through the media as if the public doesn't know who it has to blame; THE PUBLIC.

      The public is to blame because we are the ones who has given every single one of those elected officials, all whom hold decision making authority or influence, the power that they harness and put to no good use. If we, the people of this territory whose lives and the lives of our children are those at stake, don't begin to let our voices be heard then we will never be able to relish celebrating the accomplishment of one of our fellow virgin islanders without having to resent the actions of another who could have done better, but was never afforded the opportunity because of his address or an infraction in high school that made him a criminal. Where are the programs to get these children off the streets and to keep them out of jail? What about the children that we as a community have already failed? Do we leave them out on the streets to declare 'another one bites the dust' when we hear of another shooting where a young man was left lifeless or a young lady? Do we sit back and watch as they abuse substances then become menaces in society? Do we shun them and talk about how they once where? Because none of these things are creating solutions within a society that is seemingly embellishing in these problems.  

Thank God Your Not My Mom II: Who Leaves An Infant In The Car To Shop?

 Thank God Your Not My Mom II: Who Leaves An Infant In The Car To Shop?

     Alright everyone, I guess it's about that time that many readers won't agree with my sentiments, but I ask you to keep in mind that I don't agree with the sentiments of the author of this blog post either! Neither the women commenting on the post acknowledging their own past transgressions. NO One is perfect, but does that mean that we shouldn't strive for excellence still? Does that mean we should not do better when we know better because we don't have to? Because it's expected of us? I think not! It isn't expected of me, any member of my family, nor will I expect it from my children, because we need not to make mediocrity a norm although in many ways we already have.

       So a mother in New Zealand found probable cause to leave her infant in her car while she went out shopping, or so the note that she left on the apparent baby girl read, along with a number saying to please call mum if I need anything. Now while there are many situations in which many people leave their children in the car I don't think that leaving an defenseless infant in the car that could easily be broken in to or worse damaged and both of them or any of the above could be fatal. In such cases we tend to blame negligence on others instead of placing the blame where it should be, on the person themselves. A child that doesn't know how to talk, move or even scream is literally defenseless against perpetrators and incidents of all kinds. Anything can happen at a moments notice and those of us that like to stay informed are usually aware of how fast things can go sour or even how the most senseless things tend to occur to those who least deserve such treatment. Had there been a car accident where someone or thing had collided with her car while that precious baby was on board whose fault would it be? Where could one place the blame accurately? And suppose you were the other driver? How would you feel to know that you may have injured an infant, trying to save a cat in the street or swerving to avoid hitting another pedestrian or a group of people. They could be children crossing the street, or the elderly, suppose your decision to damage a parked car only lead to the destruction of a life that you were completely unaware was present. Would you blame yourself, or the mother that needed to shop hassle free (as so many mothers consider a blessing including me, but never left my infant to do it)?

       Last but certainly not least is the common fact that her baby could have been abducted. Now I don't know if that sort of thing doesn't regularly occur in New Zealand so parents aren't weary enough to take precautions, if such is the case then her ignorance is understandable to a certain extent, but other wise it just seems irresponsible at best. While sifting through the comments I noticed there where quite a few people that agreed with her actions and others that stated through their own personal accounts how far they supported the actions of the mother in case whether to a mediocre extent or all the way. In the accounts of parents that have left their children in the car to return the shopping cart, carry groceries (loading/unloading), or even dropping off one sibling while the other waits in the car, these are all situations everyone can empathize with and I'm sure most if not all would agree these instances aren't worth mentioning. But as it pertains to the situation itself I don't understand how anyone would think that it is OK to leave an infant in the car while they went shopping. Minors aged nine through eleven are targeted for such crimes and are unable to help themselves in most cases so how can anyone agree with such foolish tactics as an excuse for parenting. I noticed that many seem to think that I may be on a 'high horse' for acknowledging such foolishness, but I simply say this to those nay sayers most parents strive to give their children better than they've received so if your parents left you unattended regularly and nothing traumatic happened, kudos to you and yours but that doesn't mean you should settle. My mother didn't practice such parenting, as her mother taught her for those of us that are continuing trends and cycles that we went through although you know it isn't really right. I urge you to stop the cycle and kill the trend that has many of us facilitating the demise of our future; our children. Think about the mothers that thought it's OK to drink and smoke while pregnant because their mothers did it and had still births or now have babies with birth defects, or the fathers that figured they didn't need to be their for his children so his son repeated his 'sad song' and the daughter sang a tune of her own being left to raise a child alone. It doesn't only stop at leaving children unattended to go shopping it stops when we put our children before ourselves.

S. Lewis. (2013). I leave my baby alone in the car. Retrieved February 5, 2014 from http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/03262013-i-leave-my-baby-alone-in-the-car/

Children's Corner; Poetry

Touchline Shouting

Touchline shouting, that's all I ever hear,

I'm so confused and filled with fear.

I'm only ten years old and football should be fun,

But with all this noise I don't know which way to run.

"Get back in defence!" my manager shouts.

Dad shouts, "Get up front and deal with these louts!"

Loud mouth supporter, who knows all the rules.

(He takes the rest of us for fools)

Shouts, "What are you doing lad? Your head's in a spin!"

Is it any surprise, with all this din?


I am only a boy, so why do you all try to destroy, what I'd love to enjoy?

FOOTBALL SHOULD BE FUN!

© Simon Icke

Children's Corner; Poetry

The World Cup

Even Though I Am a Girl
The world cup would be amazing
Although it would be so hard to concentrate
With all those giraffes grazing

I mean Rooney could kick a ball
Score a goal and sing a song
But it's nothing compared to the sight
Of a baby elephant plodding along

I mean, John Terry can go for a tackle
Break some bones and be in pain
It's a shock, and then no one cares
There's a lion with a purple mane!

I think I would be too distracted
Because that word explains me
So I think I'll stay home and save some money
So I can watch it on a 60 inch TV




by Olivia Rix (aged 11)

Children's Corner; Poetry

Follow The Moon

I followed the moon
Or did it follow me
I turned a corner
It was still there you see

I tried to trick it
In the shadows I hid
But the moon kept on watching
That's what it did

A cloud passed before it
Now was my chance
But the stars in the sky
Never could lie

I walked on through the night
The moon followed me home
Or did I follow the moon
I don't quite know


© Marie Tully22



Source: Follow The Moon, Funny Poem for Kids http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/follow-the-moon#ixzz2rvZF1MSa
Family Friend Poems