Racial Tension

Please check out this link when you have a chance and read the article. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20218937/site/newsweek/page/0/
Some of you may be aware of what has been going on in Jena, LA and some may not.

On August 28, 1963 as Martin Luther King, Jr. lead a massive march on Washington he declared his "I Have a Dream Speech" from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I am including a small excerpt below.

I say to you today, my friends, 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.

Unfortunately, 44 years later his dream has yet to be fully fulfilled. I am reminded of this on a regular basis. Mostly recently I was reminded of this as I read about the situation in Jena, LA.

On a more personal note, this Monday I was reminded that racism still continues as my own grandmother expressed her displeasure over the news of my recent engagement. I was devastated that she would decide to judge Amiri "by the color of [his] skin [rather than] the content of [his] character. This will be a constant struggle for us, however it is a small price to pay for a love like this. I wonder if Martin Luther King, Jr. was around today if he would be amazed at how far things have come or shocked by how much more there is to do.