"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” speech by Martin Luther King jr.
Martin Luther King jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream" speech marked a major turning point for all those against racial injustice. Blacks everywhere spoke out against prejudice and racial injustices that were unconstitutional. They were slowly introduced to white society and became an integrated part of our nation. However, today we still encounter numerous instances of racism and injustice. Whether it be on the news or even just walking down the halls at school we find that though blacks are “created equal", they are still considered a minority by some. Even 40 years after MLK’s motivating speech, it seems that society has still not gotten things right.
Would you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
Anna B.
4 comments:
I agree, eventhough the law books and text books show that rights were given to blacks many years ago, we are still treated as the minority. However the attack, today, is much different than the attacks made towards our ancestors. Today we, as a black people, are a minority. But we are the largest minority in this country. This is fact has been taken in to consideration and it frightens many. Many different groups have come together just to destroy the black race. They have come up with methods to deceive us. First we elect them into office. And then they pass laws saying no more Affirmative Action. They take away the thing that provides education and the promise of a good job (if qualified), because they can not stand to see us move up in the world.
Ashley L.
US History 6
“A part of a population differing from others in some characteristics and often subjected to differential treatment”
“A racial, religious, political, national, or other group thought to be different from the larger group of which it is part.”
“A group having little power or representation relative to other groups within a society”
These are all different definition of a minority. I do agree that society still has not gotten things right, because if they did then there wouldn’t be a reason to have so many definition. If everybody is suppose to be treated equally then why is there a definition for a group of people who are thought of as different from a larger group or having little power? Society has used the word minority so much that it seems like its ok, but what we don’t realize is that, that’s society’s way of saying that everybody is not treated equal.
~Shayla.M~
5th hour
I'm sorry to hear that. I know I've only been alive for 16 years, but I simply try to see others as just other people, not black or white, or boy or girl, or Jewish or Catholic, etc. It may just be that I have been fortunate to grow up in a home that doesn't automatically discriminate people based upon race, religion, age or whatever, and hopefully that is something I can demonstrate to my children in the future. I feel like I have been lucky to be around so many different people with different talents and different skills, whether it be in the classroom or on my basketball team or track team, and I can't remeber ever thinking of anyone differently other than they played different positions or had differnt opinions, but not because they looked different. I've got to hope that with time more and more people in our country think this way, but I know it will never be perfect.
colleen moran
I feel the same way that Colleen does. I didn't grow up in a prejudice home and have never thought of anyone differently because of their skin, background, or any of their traits. I have never seen a person of a minority ethnic group treated differently or negatively. But because of affrimative action (before it was banned) gave them an advantage.
The reasons I think the way I do may be because I am a part of the majority, caucasian. I have never actually seen the dark side of things and have never experienced the horrible wrong doings to the minority. I do agree with the fact that so many people have an advantage in the America lifestyle because of their economic status and fame that is attached to that status, but I truly believe that it has nothing to do with the race a person is. It can be true that it is stereotyped that most black people are poor and are not of good economic status but it is not true and a judgement that is not fair.
-Mariah Van Ermen
5th hour
5/13/07
Post a Comment