Misquoting Martin Luther King

I had a conversation with a person that was arguing the famous misquoted statement of MLK.

This weekend was supposed to be the unveiling of the memorial statue on the mall in D.C, but hurricane Irene trumped that occasion. Irene, the storm that was hyped up so much and juxtaposed with Katrina, sent folks running. Religious folks say it is the wrath of God because of laws past granting gay rights. I doubt if God is anymore interested in that than all the cheating going on at the stock exchange.

Here is Dr. King's the real statement:

"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."

Now, he said:  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.

The misquote is that his Dream was for all children to live in a nation where they would not be judge by the color of their skin.

He didn't say that.That wasn't the point! When reading it in 1963 or 2011 terms, at the time Black folks were catching hell, getting lynched, children blown up in churches and now 50% unemployment and 45% incarceration, under-educated, under-served, and marginalized.

The question for America has been: "Well what do you do with a people you no longer need?"
Even President Obama is judged by the color of his skin. Don't tell me you think he isn't...please.

We, black people are the ones not treated with dignity and respect. Even when ESPN tried to say : "If Michael Vick was white would he had received the same bad treatment?" they were castigated under the guise of racism [although the photo shopped picture was a bit much].

We are not as far along as we think, if you don't believe me ask a dark-skinned brother who is not a pro athlete. It's hell out there for black folks.  We have become the foundation on which everyone gets rich. From Prison, to Music, Abortions to Drugs. Why? We're easy targets.

White children did not have this "wholesale" problem in 1963 or 2011, black ones did/do, and by extension, brown, red, and yellow. White folks always judged each other on character content or lack thereof.  But the thrust of the sentence in the speech --which BTW was really called: "We have come to cash a check America!" --was that his children, and all those who looked like his children [black] would in his dream be judged on the content of their character. It was the children of the slave and sharecropper who would not be judged by the color of their skin.

White folks then and now have never been judged by that standard. So please get your facts straight.

Did he believe in equality for all?  YES, but this statement was meant to emphasis the dream for black children. 

Remember! Context...context...context!

I heard a brother say that the statue of King had a look of disgust on it's face. Well, that may be true. But disgust for who? I think it may be the ones that still judge on the color of his children's skin and those who refuse to cash the check that a million lives died for.

Blessings