Are things today different than in the 1960s?
Just like in the 1960s, we have a war in a foreign country, and we have people treated badly because of their differences. Clearly much has not changed from when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was alive; however, Dr. King would want us to change this.
Dr. King would dream that one day every person would stand next to each other as equals no matter the person’s religion, race, or sexuality. He would dream for people not to be treated wrongly or as an outsider. As Dr. King said in his speech, “As we walk we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back,” meaning that we shall try to make a change together and to move forward in the future for a better life.
If Dr. King were alive, he would dream that the United States was at peace, and that when troops return back home they are able to receive the care that they need.
The US has always had problems with illegal immigration. Dr. King knew how it felt to be oppressed. Today part of his dream would be to fight for people who are contributing to American society, and for them to be able to have all the benefits of other citizens.
People are losing their jobs, and businesses are going down. If Dr. King were alive, his dream would be to help improve jobs, and keep manufacturing jobs in the United States instead of sending them overseas.
When Dr. King said, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough place will be made plain, and the crooked will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and that all flesh shall see it together,” I believe he meant that everything could be made right, and that all races and people from different places in the world will see it together. We have not made it that far, but we can.
Danielle Spooner is a freshman at Forest Hills HS. She placed third in the Zeta Phi Beta oratory essay contest. This is an edited version of that essay.
