"I Have a Dream"

Martin Luther King, Jr.
"I Have a Dream"
delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC
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, 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:

Perry, Hutchison to face off Jan. 29 in debate hosted by Dallas Morning News, Belo

Perry, Hutchison to face off Jan. 29 in debate hosted by Dallas Morning News, Belo


12:00 AM CST on Wednesday, January 13, 2010

By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News

choppe@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN – Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison have agreed to a second debate, to be held Jan. 29 in Dallas.

The hourlong debate between the two leading Republican candidates for governor will be hosted by The Dallas Morning News and Belo Corp., which owns 20 television stations, including Dallas' WFAA-TV (Channel 8), KHOU-TV in Houston, KENS-TV in San Antonio and KVUE-TV in Austin.

The debate will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. on those stations.

The format will include questions from a panel of reporters, as well as some from citizens. The candidates will also be asked to address each other's political advertising and discuss issues one-on-one.

Candidate Debra Medina, who has polled between 4 and 7 percent support among likely Republican voters in recent polls, did not meet the criteria to be included in the debate, including poll standing, substantial fundraising success, votes gained in previous campaigns and other factors.

Medina campaign manager Penny Langford Freeman said that she was disappointed with the decision, but that "they're an independent news station; they can do that if they want."

The campaign, which has fed on support from Tea Party followers, had loudly protested the decision by KERA-TV (Channel 13), Dallas' public-broadcasting station, to exclude Medina from the first debate, which is Thursday at the University of North Texas. The candidate argued that as an entity that operates with taxpayer support, the station had an obligation to include all credible candidates. KERA eventually agreed, and Medina will be included in that debate.

Belo and The News adopted the criteria set by the federal presidential debate committees, in which candidates must have attained 15 percent support in polls to be included.

Freeman said that she does not believe there has been accurate, independent polling to reflect Medina's support.

"We're not real happy that we're excluded, but that's their right to set

Texas Board of Education delays vote on social-studies standards

Texas Board of Education delays vote on social-studies standards


05:23 PM CST on Friday, January 15, 2010

By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News

tstutz@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN -- The Texas Board of Education has postponed until March adoption of new social studies standards for the state's public schools.

The board had planned to vote on the standards today. But after two days of debate, tmembers found themselves unable to work through a long list of amendments sponsored primarily by the panel's most conservative members.

One would require students to study the history of conservative groups from the 1980s and 1990s -- with no similar requirement for liberal groups. Pushed by board member Don McLeroy, R-College Station, the provision says students should learn about "key organizations and individuals of the conservative resurgence," including Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly.

That provision was approved on a 7-6 vote, with the board's conservative bloc providing all but one of the affirmative voters.

However, on other close votes this week, the conservative bloc came up short.

They consistently sought to have schools give more emphasis to the role of religion in American history and to the importance of Christian celebrations, including Christmas.

Among the proposals shot down Thursday was a requirement that textbooks include "religious revivals" among the major events leading up to the American Revolution.

Only members of the well-defined conservative bloc – all Republicans – supported the idea, while other Republicans and Democrats opted to stay with the recommendation of Texas teachers and academics on the topic.

The board considered scores of amendments to proposed curriculum standards for social studies, spelling out what students should be taught in history, government, geography and other classes from elementary through high school.

Much of the discussion involved which historical figures should be covered in history classes and textbooks.

Among those dropped from the elementary curriculum were former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros; Delores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez; and Miriam "Ma" Ferguson, the first female governor of Texas.

The board added Raul Gonzalez, the first Hispanic elected to the Texas Supreme Court; former U.S. Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez; and Lorenzo de Zavala, a vice president of the Republic of Texas.

Hispanic leaders had noted earlier that only 16 of 162 historical figures listed in the proposed curriculum standards were Hispanic.

Board member Barbara Cargill, R-The Woodlands, offered an amendment to require that fifth-graders learn the capitals of all 50 states.

Geraldine Miller, R-Dallas, endorsed the idea, saying, "This is something that all students should know." A majority voted to add the requirement.

The social studies standards will remain in place for a decade, dictating what is taught in government, history and other social studies classes in the state's public elementary and secondary schools.

The rules are also used to develop statewide tests.

And, because Texas schools account for so many textbook purchases, the Texas standards could influence what books publishers make available in other states.

'The Princess and the Frog' Hops Atop Box Office

'The Princess and the Frog' Hops Atop Box Office


Date: Monday, December 14, 2009, 5:05 am

By: David Germain, AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "The Princess and the Frog" earned a big wet kiss from family audiences as the animated musical leaped to No. 1 with $25 million in its first weekend of nationwide release, according to studio estimates Sunday.



The Disney musical is the studio's first hand-drawn animated tale in five years, a contrast to the computer-animated films that now dominate the cartoon world.

"I've always believed that when you start with great storytelling, then the format aside doesn't mean anything," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney.

The movie also is a return to Disney's reinvention of classic fairy tales, offering a 1920s New Orleans twist on the Brothers Grimm story "The Frog Prince," following the adventures of a young woman turned into a frog by a kiss from an amphibian.

Despite its No. 1 finish, "The Princess and the Frog" drew modest crowds compared to many big animated tales, which can open with two or three times as much business. Those films typically open during the busy summer season, though, and Disney is counting on the long shelf life that many films manage during the holidays.

"The Princess and the Frog" took over at No. 1 from the inspiring sports tale "The Blind Side," which slipped to second-place with $15.5 million. Released by Warner Bros., "The Blind Side" raised its total to $150.2 million.

Is It True, Tiger Woods The Worst Husband In The World...Read More From Tonyaa Weethersbee

Tale of Tiger's Infidelity More Than Cautionary


Date: Wednesday, December 09, 2009, 6:15 am

By: Tonyaa Weathersbee, BlackAmericaWeb.com

CLICK HERE for Photo Gallery: Tiger Woods – Off the Green



Oh, the irony.



For much of his 35 years, Tiger Woods has been setting golf records and shattering expectations. In 1997, he became the first person of color to win the Masters Tournament, and now, among other things, he holds a record number of career PGA wins.

Yet the more Woods rose in golf, the more distance he tried to put between himself and his blackness.

As black people everywhere celebrated Woods’ Masters triumph; as they saw him as the Jackie Robinson of a game that tends to be played in places where most blacks can only get in through the service entrance, Woods quickly spurned those accolades.

He told Oprah that it bothered him to be called black. Said, in fact, that he wasn’t black, but rather, Cablinasian – as in Caucasian-black-Indian-Asian.

Woods picked a bad time to toss the one-drop rule. Especially since it was because of the struggles of black people, and not whites, Indians or Asians, that made it possible for him to play on those country club courses rather than tend the grounds.

So it’s sort of ironic to see how Woods, the superstar golfer who worked so hard to not be seen as an achieving “black” man, could very well wind up being seen as a stereotypical one: As an oversexed brute who lusts after white women.

For the past two weeks, the Internet and the airwaves have been abuzz with news that the world’s greatest golfer is apparently one of the world’s worse husbands. Since Woods crashed his SUV in the wee morning hours on Nov. 27 in what appeared to be him trying to escape his golf club-wielding wife, Elin Nordegren, the bimbos have been erupting all over.

So far, 10 have surfaced.

Most have been hostesses or cocktail waitresses. Two are porn stars. Most had little else going for them except plastic, Barbie-doll looks and, it seems as far as Woods was concerned, accessibility.

And when Woods had sex with them, he did more than risk ruining his marriage and his endorsement-ready image.

He also risked reviving stereotypes about black men being slaves to their libidos.

Thirty-four-year-old Mindy Lawton, a waitress, claims that she and Woods had a year-long affair and that they had sex in various locations. She told The Daily Mail that Woods was “very well-endowed.”

Then there’s 24-year-old Jaime Grubbs, a Las Vegas cocktail waitress who somehow managed to hang on to all the cell phone and text messages between them; messages in which he told her that he would “wear her out.”

Rachel Uchitel, a club hostess, reportedly told friends that she and Woods had “wild Ambien sex.”

And now, T-shirts emblazoned with “Tiger Did Me” can be purchased on the Internet.

Sadly enough, those might sell even faster than the Nike gear that Woods is being paid millions to push – for now.

Woods predicament is a common tale about the wages of infidelity. Yet I wonder: Would Woods have hesitated to engage in serial adultery with a string of women with virtually nothing going for them except whiteness if he understood the stereotype?

Would a Woods who embraced racial pride instead of racial ambiguity be less inclined to risk being outed as yet another sexually reckless black man?

Perhaps.

It’s true that Woods eroded stereotypes simply by excelling at golf. It’s just too bad that he didn’t erode those stereotypes further by not racking up a string of white mistresses; women who are now spilling to the tabloids about the breadth of his lust and the length of his penis.

Because it’s a safe bet that right now, few people are seeing Woods as .....

President Obama Gives Himself a B-Plus Grade

President Obama Gives Himself a B-Plus Grade


Date: Monday, December 14, 2009, 5:48 am

By: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama, in an interview that aired Sunday, gave himself "a good solid B-plus" grade for his first year in office.



Speaking with fellow Chicagoan Oprah Winfrey, the president claimed progress on economic and international fronts.

Obama said the only thing that stands in the way of giving himself a better grade is the fact that some elements of his agenda — health care reform and putting more Americans to work — remain undone.

"The biggest burden on me right now is that economic growth has happened, but job growth has not happened," Obama told Winfrey on the ABC special "Christmas at the White House."

On the plus side, Obama said, "We are on our way out of Iraq." And, he added, "I think we've got the best possible plan for Afghanistan."

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama also talked holiday gifts with Winfrey.

Obama told Winfrey that as a rule, he gives "nicer stuff than I get." Michelle Obama responds, "No way, I gave you good gifts last year."

Bo, the White House dog, has his very own Christmas stocking.

Asked which members of the Obama family have a stocking, Mrs. Obama named the president, herself, daughters Malia and Sasha and said "of course" the family's Portuguese water dog has one too. This will be the first Christmas for the puppy, which the Obamas got in April.

She did not give any details about what might be going into Bo's stocking, but said Santa loves Bo.

Winfrey also asked the couple about their favorite childhood Christmas gifts.

Mrs. Obama said her favorite was a metal dollhouse with plastic furniture that she wasn't sure what to do with.

"I really didn't know how to set up a house so I had all the furniture lined up along the walls as opposed to nestled around the fireplace, but I loved that little dollhouse," Mrs. Obama said.

"Well, now you get some practice here, goodness gracious," Winfrey said, speaking of the 132-room White House.

Obama said he remembered getting his first "big-kid, 10-speed" bicycle because that's always a special moment in a boy's life.

A basketball fan and eager player of the game, Obama also mentioned getting a basketball from his father. Obama's father, Barack Obama Sr., left the family when Obama was a toddler and returned to Africa, but gave him the ball during a later visit

"Pull Those Pants Up and Keep It a Secret"

"Big Mama" and Dwaine Caraway Tell Girls to "Keep It a Secret" and Dress Like Ladies

By Megan Feldman in News You Can Actually Use, ActuallyTue., Nov. 24 2009 @ 3:52PM

Photos by Megan Feldman

Caraway introduced the latest billboard in his campaign against sagging and skin, though not, ya know, sagging skin.

​As we mentioned this morning, Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway's pulling his anti-sagging campaign up a notch. Two years after Caraway's "man's law" garnered national attention, his target audience is no longer just young men who sport oversized pants, but young women who bare skin. Whether it's saggy pants or revealing minis, Caraway argues, such clothes can lead to social ills -- among them, teen pregnancy and divorce -- in much the same way the "broken windows" theory says garbage-strewn streets and boarded-up homes breed crime.

Caraway with the great Irma P. Hall, now the namesake of his latest campaign

​"Little girls are trying to keep up with the little boys, and we've got to send a message that the young ladies need to tighten it up, keep a secret for a little while," Caraway said this afternoon at a festive pre-holiday press conference unveiling new billboards for the campaign. After a performance by the Church of the Living God choir, Caraway displayed a mock-up of the new billboards -- which, as you can see above, read "Pull 'em up!" and "Keep it a secret," and feature the smiling face of Irma P. Hall, whom Caraway introduced as"Big Mama" for her role in Soul Food. The 75-year-old actress and former Dallas Independent School District teacher took a maternal tone and encouraged young people to dress for respect.

"I'm here today because I love you -- I want to see you reach your full potential," she told the crowd, which included DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, members of local churches and a number of students and parents. "Now, in order to fulfill your destiny, you have to wear the right uniform. You cannot go play football in a basketball uniform, and my young ladies, you have to look like young ladies. If you wear a working-girl uniform, that's what people will think you are. I don't want to see you disrespected." There was scattered applause and cheers.

"It's young people -- 18- and 19-year-old voters -- who put Barack Obama in the White House," she said. "You are powerful. So look like it."