Dear Rev. Dr. King,
Thank you for proving to me that dreams are indeed possible, but also that dreams rooted in the heart are powerful. Because as you know, out of the heart flows all life.
From childhood I knew of you- the man with a dream, yet as an adult you have become my inspiration. One I celebrated with deep joy when I was asked to speak at the African American Museum this day some years ago. That joy has changed me. You have changed me. Because you lived your life so closely to the way Jesus did, I believed it to be possible. In fact, it makes me believe and know that any dream is possible!
Yes, I do have the same Myers-Briggs personality as you, sir, extrovert, intuition, feeler, just do it (E-N-F-J) personality! And I am thankful that you proved the world wrong. You proved that change is good. Change is what we then needed, and still today need. And change is not based solely on logic. No, logic, is based on the past, and we need a future that is different, one that holds freedom for all. It is illogical to think that slavery will someday end, but you sir E-N-F-J have proved that the illogical is necessary. Freedom is necessary, and possible.
You had a dream. It was big. It likely seemed impossible at the time… Like really illogically impossible. But you kept dreaming. You kept going. You kept fighting the fight of peace and love, and change happened.
So, last year when I was teaching a college class in Cambodia, where the nation was long under the rule of the Pol Pot regime (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol_Pot) for years prior to my arrival, I too had a dream. It was your birthday, I played your speech (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm) to my public speaking students, and explained the history of Africans in America. I watched as the students eyes grew large when I described the slave trade, segregation, and the civil rights movement. This was a history they had never heard before, yet were all too familiar with the power of hateful fear driven rulers oppressing entire people groups. It was your story, and your speech that birthed dreams in the students across the globe. When they learned that your dream was so far from your current reality, they too dreamed of a future free from corruption, oppression, and slavery. They delivered speeches with these dreams and are now still filled with great hope and working toward bringing those big dreams to pass.
You have made it possible for me to proudly stand with my Christian brothers and sisters of black racial groups of Africa requesting justice in the face of racism still today… With honor. I say proudly stand not in the twisted sense of the word pride, but because you have declared that it is to be celebrated, that we have the opportunity to stand for what’s right, and shall celebrate each of our unique differences in pursuing such. I am proud of your accomplishments!
Dr. King, thank you for making my saying, “dream big, live above it” more than a thought I once had, or the wanderings of my imagination. You made dreams something that I believe to be true and am in restless pursuit of, until I see that they have been exceeded far beyond what my imagination is even capable of! Thank you for fighting with love. Thank you for living like Jesus. Thank you for all the ways you will continue to inspire me as I pursue freedom and justice for those that need it today.
With love, honor, and respect,
Lauren Elizabeth
Girl (em)Power Detroit
Image: sunset in Detroit, where “I Have a Dream” was first delivered in June 1963
