“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 their character. I have a dream today…”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pronounced those words Aug. 28, 1963, in his now-iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ address at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Fifty years after that speech punctuated the March on Washington, the words still provoke conversation among many, including Lipscomb’s Coordinator of International Student Services Sylvia Braden and acclaimed Nashville actor Barry Scott.
“For me, [Dr. King’s speech] feels like a strong reminder of where we came from and how far yet we still have to go,” Braden said. “Looking back on, ‘The March’ and looking back on the things that were said in the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, there’s so many amazing calls to action.”
Braden went on to say that African-Americans have more opportunities now because of the sacrifices that were made by those, both black and white, who fought for racial equality.
“At the same time, I think we have lost momentum in really realizing that dream and what [those in the Civil Rights Movement] set out to do and how to collectively make [America] a better community,” Braden said. “Not just for our black kids or white kids, but for everyone who is here to work more cohesively to make this community we call our world a better place.”
Scott has portrayed Dr. King on many occasions since 1968 and has traveled the world performing the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech for diverse audiences. To Scott, the speech still resonates the same way it did in its inaugural unveiling.
“I’m overwhelmed because I was alive when he made that speech. I was a child, 8 years old, hearing that speech and felt hope.I still feel hope,” Scott said. “The words are filled with hope. I thank God for someone like a Martin King who was born and that we’re here sitting here today, 50 years later, talking about history.”
Scott said that while much has been accomplished in five decades, much work is still to be done to complete King’s dream.
“For me, personally, being born ‘colored,’ I recognized Martin King as that voice for people who didn’t have a voice,” Scott said. “Now, we live in a time, 50 years removed from the speech, where we know Martin King, dead 45 years, has been dead longer than he was alive. The way he captured us saying,’ I have a dream’ was really a metaphor and an idea for a plan for action that we see now.”