Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “I have a dream...” and His Legacy

-Pradeep Pariyar Thapa

Exclusive: On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C., world renowned American civil rights leader Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) famously said this timeless quote while addressing the hundreds of thousands crowds-the dreamers like him, “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.” But, what a paradoxical event unfolding 58 years after, today, on MLK Day, January 18th, 2021 that Lincoln Memorial and entirety of Capitol is under seized because of insurgency in the disguise of White supremacists, Proud Boys and QAnon conspiracy theory followers. Dr. King’s legacy is reminder of the American past and aspiration that we instilled and still pursue to achieve today by keeping unfaltering hope of seeking justice and harmony in our society.

Rev. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 before his dreams were realized and just three years after blacks were granted full voting rights by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Dr. King’s birthday is on January 15th. In this moment of celebrating his legacy, let’s not forget our aspirations and our journey towards social justice and equal opportunity.

Dr. King’s life-long advocacy against racial discrimination earned him world fame and inspired millions of people from around the world, but, unfortunately, world is still divided and racial discrimination exists even in the world’s most advanced and richest country- United States. Dr. King could not see the fruition of his hard-fought labor of love-equal justice to all people regardless of their race, creed and skin of color but he inspired us to keep fighting for it. In that famous speech, he further said, “I still have a dream, a dream deeply rooted in the American dream – one day this nation will rise up and live up to its creed, ...We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal." that manifests the true humanity and still holds relevant today more than ever. Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.🙏💞🙏