The American dream was more than a speech given to us in Washington, D.C., it was a battle against the actions of injustice. This is a battle that African Americans have been fighting against for over 400 years. Martin Luther King spoke in front of hundreds of thousands of people to give insight on how to stop this battle. Sixty years later, this fight still has not ended. To end it, we must persist through the hardships and challenges in this battle of injustice, standing up against inequality, and treat others with the decency they deserve.
In Martin Luther King’s speech, he said “We cannot walk alone.” “We cannot turn back.” This means that as we walk, we must walk ahead no matter the difficulties we face trying to get there. Dr. King always encouraged us as people to never give up on this interminable fight against inequality. In his speech, he also claims “I still have a dream.” Meaning, Dr. King never gave up on the dream he had for us no matter how difficult and tiring it got. Martin Luther King showed us that our freedom is valuable and worth fighting for, even if it makes us weak and exhausted.
We can always honor the dream Dr. King shared with us by using our voice and standing up against injustice. If prejudice continues against a group of people who haven’t done anything wrong, we as people must stand up together and fight against it. Dr. King once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This means that if injustice continues to exist and no one stands up against it, it will continue to spread and threaten the justice we currently have. Martin Luther King is one of our prime examples of speaking against injustice, so we must continue to speak against discrimination to keep his dream alive.
One of the most important things Dr. King taught us was to treat others with the dignity they deserve. He once said on the marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” He also said, “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Meaning that only love can drive out the injustice in this world. Dr. King wanted us to fight for freedom, but never with hatred or bitterness. Martin Luther King wanted us to fight for our freedom peacefully and with love. In order to honor his dream, we must never use hate to try and fix the ignorance and discriminatory mindsets of those who hate others.
In conclusion, to keep Dr. Kings dream alive we must continue to overcome the difficult hardships while facing injustice, fighting against discrimination of any kind, and treating others with decency. Let’s keep Martin Luther King’s dream alive until we can all say what he said sixty years ago “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
It is often said that dreams are the fuel that keeps us going. They give us purpose, and they inspire us to achieve greatness. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream — a dream of equality, justice, and freedom. He dreamed of a world where every individual, regardless of race or color, would be treated with respect and dignity. He believed that every person had the right to pursue happiness and success, and he dedicated his life to making that dream a reality.
But dreams are not enough. They require hard work and dedication. They require a willingness to stand up for what you believe in, even when the world seems to be against you. Martin Luther King Jr. knew this better than anyone. He faced incredible obstacles and challenges on his journey to bring about change, but he never gave up. Dr. King faced imprisonment, physical assault, and even death. His commitment and sacrifice were not just words; they were actions that put him in harm’s way time and time again. He remained committed to his dream, and he was willing to make sacrifices to see it through.
Commitment is key to achieving any goal. Whether it’s working toward a promotion at work, improving your health, or advocating for social justice, you must be committed to the cause. In the case of Dr. King’s dream, commitment means actively working to dismantle the systems of oppression that continue to exist in our society. It means recognizing the ways in which we may have contributed to these systems and taking steps to unlearn harmful beliefs and behaviors. It means showing up for our friends and neighbors who are affected by discrimination and using our privilege and resources to support them.
But commitment alone is not enough. To truly make a difference, we must also be willing to make sacrifices. This can be challenging, as sacrifice often requires giving up something we value. It could mean putting our careers on hold for family members, donating a portion of our income to a cause we believe in, or taking time off work to participate in a protest. Sacrifice is a way of showing that we are willing to put our words into action and that we understand the gravity of the issues at hand.
In conclusion, remembering the dream through commitment and sacrifice is not just a noble goal, it is a necessary one. It is the only way we can make a real difference in the world. We must be willing to take risks, stand up for what we believe in, and make sacrifices for the greater good. And we must also recognize that we are not alone in our quest; we need the support of others who share our vision, and the willingness to work together toward a common goal. So let’s honor Dr. King’s legacy by committing ourselves to the cause of social justice and making the sacrifices necessary to achieve it. Together, we can make the dream a reality.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a monumental figure in the civil rights movement. He believed the most acceptable way to achieve equality was peacefully. In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, he speaks about this dream — a vision of freedom, justice, and equality for all people. His idea is living together as “brothers and sisters,” judging people not based on the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Although MLK achieved countless things, his dream has yet to become a reality.
Dr. King’s dream was never achieved. Racism is still a massive problem all across the world. When George Floyd was murdered in May 2020 by a police officer in Minneapolis, people all across the world were furious with the police and the BLM movement began. People had peaceful protests and many donated to the cause; celebrities used their platform to bring awareness. Others had more radical methods such as looting, rioting and protesting that funding for the police be minimized or cut off completely. This was not King’s dream.
We can realize Dr King’s dream today by committing ourselves to educating people on how beautiful other cultures are. This can possibly decrease the amount of hate and racism people experience. This is easier said than done, however, as most people who believe some races are inferior to others are very ignorant. To overcome this, we should share personal experiences and try to relate to others as much as possible. My father is an immigrant from India. He came to America in 1997. After the tragedy of 9/11, many were outraged. They saw a person with his complexion and assumed he was a terrorist. Even in Alabama, hundreds of miles away from where the attacks happened, they assumed he was a terrorist because of his dark hair and brown skin. My father is no terrorist; he is a businessman who was trying to make money so he could pay off his student loan. Nobody wanted to listen. They came into the store and threatened to shoot my dad and his employees, often the employees considered quitting. My dad believed they were bluffing, until one fateful day.
The man came into the store wearing a bandanna, grabbed a glass bottle and went to the counter where my dad was. He cracked the bottle over my dad’s head and shot him in the chest. He yelled “Stay out of our country” and ran out of the store. Luckily, my dad survived and the bullet entered and exited his body quickly. This is the cost of ignorance. There have been far too many times where ignorant people harm others, sometimes even kill.
If we can sacrifice pride and ignorance, put our differences aside, educate others and commit to understanding one another, we can make a difference. Together, we can build a strong and united society. Through this commitment to educate, understand, and embrace one another, sacrificing pride and ignorance, we can truly realize Dr. King’s dream.
The United States could be portrayed as a stained glass window; millions of different shapes, sizes, and colors fitting together in perfect harmony. But this window is more fragile than it looks. In fact, for hundreds of years, this window of true American liberty wasn’t complete. Throughout the 1950s and ’60s, a national movement strove to finally complete the window that America’s Founding Fathers had started almost 200 years before. They strove tocomplete what Abraham Lincoln toiled on 100 years before. On August 28, 1963, thismovement climaxed with the March on Washington. More than 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to protest unfair treatment and demand change. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his transcendent “I Have a Dream” speech, illustrating a more perfect America. An America that “live[s] out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” An America with freedom ringing from every “village, hamlet, state, and city.” An America where people are not “judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
It’s been 60 years, and King’s stirring words hit all the same. They were words of impossible hope though arduous times, the same type of hope we’ve needed these past few years. We’ve persevered through a global pandemic that has taken millions of lives. We’ve persevered through years of a stagnant and polarized country. And, most pertinent to King’s speech, we’ve persevered through years of racial injustice in policing. Since 2013, 11,081 Americans have been killed at the hands of the police. Of those people, 2,765 were black. That’s 25% in a country that’s 13.6% black. In his speech, King said, “we can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.” Those words still stand. We, in 2023, after years of progress, must continue the great work of Civil Rights. We cannot slow down, because Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream isn’t yet realized. No one said it better than MLK himself: “we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
But what does that look like? For me, two simple ideas: a commitment to respect and to sacrifice for change. That means respect for all people. Respect people despite their skin color, despite their gender identity, despite their religion. Respect people for their personalities, and for, as Dr. King said, the “content of their character.” Now more than ever, it’s important for all of America to come together and respect each other.
We also must sacrifice to usher in change. We can spend time helping rebuild after another all-too-common tornado. We can sacrifice our time protesting the treatment of black Americans. Know that you can make a difference, and one day you’ll be able to say, “Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.”
The I Have a Dream Speech spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been realized through commitment by millions of people and not all of them were black. African Americans have been protesting since the 19th century and fighting for equality and justice. Since that time with some Caucasian allies to come and render help for the cause as well. As soon as Dr. King stepped foot on that podium he immediately impacted the world with his 1963 speech.
Many have stood, faced abuse and sacrificed more than the imaginable including people in the modern day who still protest for civil rights for all people. Dr. King sacrificed himself by choosing 14 days of incarceration instead of a $10 fine plus the court costs for us so we didn’t have to. Most of us would pay the fine. Choosing the easy path does not represent commitment or sacrifice. The amount of commitment and sacrifice it would take for us in the 21st century to make sure Dr. King’s dream gets realized would take more years since this generation is seemingly not as committed to a cause. Even Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Make sure you sweep the street really well, because when the next person comes behind you they’re gonna say this person has swept the street very well.” Meaning due to the color of your skin you have to do two times the better job in order to exemplify what you can do. Dr. King has always encouraged people to fight for their beliefs. He once stated, “If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, and if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do keep moving forward.” King’s speech has inspired a lot of people, even young people like myself to continue learning about how we can realize his dream.
In 2020, a riot broke out and people around the U.S. were protesting for black rights because of George Floyd. He was killed by excessive police force. There were people in every state in the United States who were fighting for justice, and some were playing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech on repeat toward the clouds in protest. Though some chose riots and looting, it was not a way to find justice. Dr. King once said himself, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.” We should not be fighting for equality and justice withviolence because it goes against what Dr. King’s dream stands for. We must sacrificenonviolence, our voice and project words of peace to those who think racism is valid. We will keep doing this by showing the commitment we have to make sure Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream gets realized by not only the nation but the entire world.
Author and journalist Juan Williams describes high moments in the civil rights movement captured in his book, “Eyes on the Prize.”
Thank you so much, Dr. Mullins. What an introduction! Goodness gracious, the only thing you missed was, you could have said Juan was his high school valedictorian. So what if I was home schooled? You didn’t have to tell them that.
But seriously, thank you all so much for coming out tonight. Thank you so much for inviting me to be your Martin Luther King, Jr. Realizing the Dream Legacy Banquet speaker, here at The University of Alabama. I really look forward to the award ceremony. To those who are getting the dream awards — the courageous activists of today. For the people who have been in the trenches and achieved so much, who tonight will be honored with these awards, I look forward to being here for that moment with all of you.
I gotta also tell you it’s great to be here, because it warm in Tuscaloosa. And brother, if you were in D.C., you’d know about cold these days. It’s been freezing. You’d know how cold it was just by looking at the politicians. They’re walking around with their hands in their own pockets.
And of course, I love Southern hospitality. I was told I could not stay here at the Capstone. It was sold out. Ya’ll got a big basketball game against Kentucky coming up. Roll Tide. But I’m just telling you, I couldn’t stay at your great hotel. But they put me in a nice hotel, they put me in the Hilton Inn. It was pretty nice. And I was saying to the folks at the dinner table tonight, I’m gonna have a hard time checking out. Because at the Hilton the towels are so fluffy, I’m not gonna be able to close my suitcase.
It was really nice to be an outsider with that Southern hospitality as I experienced it as a visitor here at the Capstone Hotel. Dr. Mullins was so kind in his introduction. He didn’t say NPR fired me, he didn’t get into that, and I appreciate that. But when I used to work at NPR, and I’d come to events like this and meet people, they would say all the time, “Well, isn’t it great to meet you, it’s nice to be able to put a face with the voice that I hear on the radio.” I’d think to myself, “Oh, well, I didn’t know what you looked like either.” So now I work at Fox, and I come to events like this, and it’s so different, you know, because people say, you’re taller, you’re shorter, you’re fatter, you’re skinnier, thank God for makeup in some cases. The other day a lady said to me, “Wow it’s great to meet you. I finally get to put a body with the talking head.” I’d never heard that before. A body with the talking head? I thought to myself, I hope she likes the body.
This is such an important moment. I had other opportunities, but I really wanted to be with all of you tonight here at The University of Alabama. I just thought, this is the place to be, to truly celebrate Dr. King’s 86th birthday. And I think what all of you are doing here, the good work that you’re doing, the awards that are being given tonight, that truly is a reflection of Dr. King in this time.
You know, I think about the idea of a living Dr. King. Living, of course, in all of life’s actions, but also just as an act of imagination. If there was a living Dr. King, 86 years old, that’s not that old. If you stop and think about it but Nelson Mandela, who died last year, was older than that. Castro, still alive, is older than that. First President Bush, older than that. So you come to understand, there could be a living Dr. King. But in fact Dr. King’s been gone now, 47 years, since 1968.
You heard Dr. Mullins talking about how it was 51 years ago that he won the Nobel [Peace Prize] in 1964. Fifty-two years now, since 1963 and the “I had a Dream” speech. So there are lots of people in this room who never knew the living Dr. King. In fact, if you stop and think about it, a quarter of the American population today is under the age of 18. They really never knew the living Dr. King. They had no idea that when Dr. King is in Montgomery, when he comes to take over the Dexter Avenue Baptist church, he’s 25 years old, he’s a young guy. But in so many minds Dr. King, the iconic figure, is an older man. Isn’t that kind of funny? Because he’s just 39 when he dies. But again, this is how history plays in memory and how it’s reflected in who we are and the people who are telling, learning, interpreting the history.
Dr. Samory T. Pruitt offers congratulations to Mountaintop Award winner Dr. Arthur L. Bacon.
So we have so many young people today that they somehow see Dr. King in their mind’s eye as this elderly man. It’s why, I think, that there’s so much controversy about this movie “Selma.” Because so many people are being introduced to the living Dr. King and saying, “Is that what he was like? Is that what Dr. King was like? Is that what the movement was like? And then they have to hear questions about is that a historical distortion or a historical reality?”
I personally know how history impacts people. You heard a few moments ago about a book I wrote called Eyes on the Prize [Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965, Viking Press, 1987). They put out a special 25th anniversary edition of Eyes on the Prize. I gotta tell you, that’s pretty much amazing to me that anything I wrote could last for 25 years, be in print 25 years, sell half a million copies. I’m just like, wow, I had no idea. But what I have learned from the experience of being the author of that book is that history changes as people change. Because people use history’s inspiration, but they also use it to define themselves. They take identity from what took place in the past and, of course, history is the basis of memory and tradition. Even for me, as the author, the history never sits still.
I’ll tell you this is such an extremely personal thing that’s so odd, but this Christmas I was at the White House for the White House Christmas party, and I was upstairs talking with folks, and someone came over to me and they said, “Hey, I just saw your book in the White House Library.” And I said, “Really? What book?” And they said, “I don’t know, it was one of your books.” I thought, Nah, I don’t even think that guy knows who he’s talking to, he must think I’m somebody else.
So on the way out, I was going to the coat line and the library was right there and I thought you know, just let me go in there and look, and so I looked and I couldn’t find any book with my name on it, but sure enough, the man who had said that to me was standing there and he said, “Oh, did you see your book?” And he pointed right at Eyes on the Prize. And I gotta tell you, that is a humbling moment, to realize a book you’d written is in the White House library. I’m like, wow.
I’ll tell you something else about this book that just — I don’t even know how to explain it — but when Nelson Mandela was getting out of prison, The Washington Post sent me to South Africa. So I’m there writing about a nation in the midst of tremendous racial transformation, and I very much want an interview with Nelson Mandela. But, of course, all of his aides, all of the folks with the ANC (African National Congress) say, you know, that’s not possible. We’ve got endless numbers of journalists from all over the world. At the time, we had Brokaw (Tom), and Dan Rather, and Peter Jennings, you know, those kind of lead American anchors, and they were just one among the many journalists from all over the world, clamoring for a moment of Mr. Mandela’s time. So I was told there is no way that you can get an opportunity to speak with Nelson Mandela.
The Rev. Tyshawn Gardner, pastor of the Plum Grove Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, introduces the awards segment of the annual Realizing the Dream Legacy Banquet.
And a few days later, one of the aides comes up and says, “You know what, Mr. Mandela saw your name on a list, and he read your book about the American Civil Rights movement, and he’d like to meet you. So we’re gonna put you in a line of dignitaries to at least shake his hand.”
Well I couldn’t believe it, it’s unbelievable. So I end up shaking hands with Nelson Mandela. But if you know me, you know I’m a persistent cuss, and I wouldn’t let go of his hand. I said, “Mr. Mandela, we in the United States have been through so much on race, and you are such an inspiration to so many people, especially young people. They would love to hear your story. Could I please have an interview?
For those of you who are familiar with that television program “Showtime at the Apollo,” you know when they had a bad comic they literally bring out a hook and they’d start to pull that guy off the stage. Well, that’s what it looked like, cause I was holding Mandela’s hand, his aides are ripping my jacket, you know. So I let go, but then just as I was about to hit the door, Mandela said, “Well, you know, wait a second, you’re a writer, and I don’t have a personal secretary. If you’re willing to write some notes, you can hang around and I’ll talk to you when I can.”
I said, “Absolutely, that’s a deal.” So I ended up writing some silly notes. Things like, Thank you, Conrad Gorbachev, great to be out, hope to see you soon. Love, Nelson. You guys laugh, but I got my interview, I’ll tell you that.
Now, with Eyes on the Prize being 25 years old, I run into a generation of people, several generations, in fact, who’ve told me, “I read your book in high school. I read that book in college. I saw the documentary when it first came out.” And the thing about it, the shocking thing, is these college and high school students keep getting younger. More than a few of them these days, they say, “Were you in the Civil Rights movement?” And I say, no. Not at all. And then, again, just so much to learn, even as the author of the book, because young people bring new eyes to the story itself.
You know, back in 1988 when the book was published, so many of the people who were excited about it were people who had been in the Civil Rights Movement, on the front lines. And they were just thrilled to see their story finally being celebrated. That someone was telling their story. And then next, I would meet people who would tell me, that they were the children, in some cases the grandchildren, of people who were in the book and documentary. And they would tell me also, Oh, you know, I came across your book because I had to write an essay on the Civil Rights Movement, and I discovered that my aunt is in the book. It’s just incredible. And I was thinking, now we’ve gone from people who took part in it to people who were their children.
So, you never stop learning and I think one of the best things about being a writer is that you’re always learning, you’re always getting new information. But it’s the idea that now you can be talking to people who are great-grandchildren. You know, one of the big differences, by the way, is that when the book first came out it was successful, but I think it was mostly in the black community. Today America is so different, diverse. I mean, you’ve got the second largest minority in the country is Hispanics. And when they come to Eyes on the Prize, they come to it with whole different set of thoughts, imperatives, needs, in terms of identity and inspiration and reason. It just changes the whole take that I have on what the book means. But, let me give you a sense of this by telling you about the most frequent questions I get asked about Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement.
Going back to people who were alive during that time, during the kind of stellar years, ’54 to ’65. You’d be surprised at the number of people who say to me, “I didn’t know all that was going on.” They say that they just doubted events so historic, traumatic, dramatic occurred while they were at the drive-in, at the prom, the ballgame. One lady said she had pimples, she didn’t know all this was going on. I’m like, “Really?”
That reminds me that so often white people will say to me, even today, you know, “Before I read Eyes on the Prize I’d never read a history book that included so much about black people in the Civil Rights era.” Now they say, “I think it’s more common to find that in a standard American history book,” but for young whites, oftentimes they just had to come across this material. Now, when people say to me, they didn’t know all this was going on, it depends, in large part, on whether they are black or white. I hear this more often from older white people. But, sometimes, this leads to a second level of questions that comes from people, younger people, who are both black and white. And that is, they say, “Is that really true? Is that really true?” And just the way you heard [in Dr. Mullins’ introduction] about black and white workers not being “to look out of the same window” at the factory. “Is that really true?” So, what is that they’re asking “Is that really true?” about? Let me give you some examples.
People will say to me, “Is it really true people voted against the 1964 Voting Rights Act? Who could vote against that?” I say, “No, people voted against it.” People say, “Is it really true that Jackie Robinson and black athletes would get booed because they were black? That people would go into second base with their spikes up, intending to cut them? And curse them out?” Yeah, that’s true. People shake their head, they can’t believe it. One lady said to me, “Is it true Nat King Cole got beaten on a stage in Birmingham because people thought he was singing love songs to white women?” I said, yeah, that’s true. [They reply] “That’s true? Can that really be true?”
I’ll give you another version of this. Again, so much of this comes from young people, today’s generation. They say, “Was it really that bad?” When they read about Rosa Parks in Montgomery, this often comes up. They say, “You know, so she had to move to the back of the bus, but was it really that bad?” And I say, “Well, you don’t understand, Rosa Parks had to get on the front of the bus to pay her fare, then get off. And she was only supposed to enter the bus through the rear entrance. And then she’s in a seat and as more white people get on, she has to move farther back.” And they say “No, is that really true? Could it really have been that bad?”
The other day, a yound woman said to me, “This business about black people in a department store not being able to try on shoes, hats and dresses.” Oh, I’m glad I have a witness. I should bring her in with me. So in the book I explain how the theory was that white people wouldn’t want to buy a pair of shoes or a hat or a dress that a black person had had on. She said, “Was it really that bad? Is that right?” Or, when they come across the text that deals with Kenneth Clark the psychologist, doing a doll’s test on black and white children, and the black children choosing the white doll as the pretty doll, the smart doll, and then looking at the black doll and saying that black doll is ugly and dumb and an “n-word” like me. They say “Is that true?” I say, “You don’t understand the damage that was done.”
Now, I tell you about these questions because I think they reveal so much about how people take history in and how history changes with time and how people make history a personal journey. So let me tell you about another question that comes up with regard to Eyes on the Prize.
When I was doing the research for Eyes on the Prize, maybe the most frequent question I would get when I called someone up to say “I need to come visit with you to talk about the Civil Rights Movement,” and in some cases, right here in Tuscaloosa I can tell you, but certainly in Alabama, the most frequent question I would get on the other end of the phone line was, “Why do you want to talk to me?” And I’d say, you know, I’d explain the situation, “you were there, you were working with this organization and I’d very much like the opportunity to come speak with you.” And they’d say, “Oh, you really don’t want to come talk to me, you know, you want to go talk to this certain person here and this certain person there.” And, sometimes, I would end up talking with their kids, and their kids would say, “Oh, I didn’t know she was involved with that.” And I’d say, “yeah.” I’d say, “You know, you should check the attic and the basement because I think she’s got some historical documents hidden away, but she’s not telling you she was involved.”
I must tell you, the other side of this is, I think what is about 200,000, maybe 250,000 people were at the great march on Washington in 1963. So the other side of people saying, “Oh, I wasn’t there, why do you want to talk to me?” is the people who now must have been with the 10 or 20 million who were at the great march on Washington who want to tell me, “Oh yeah,” they were right there, they were in the front row with Dr. King.
So you get all these distortions of history over time. Another thing that comes up with young people today is they say, “Oh, so who is the next Dr. King?” They have this great man myth of the Civil Rights Movement as if Dr. King was everywhere and doing everything at all times. So when I say to them that the reality is that all kinds of people made the Civil Rights Movement, made American history, to them it’s like, “Well, no,” they don’t want to hear that. They can understand it as one man. It’s hard for them to understand that you’ve got a Medgar Evers, a Fannie Lou Hamer. It’s hard for them to understand you’ve got a Jo Ann Robinson, a Barbara Johns, a Diane Nash. They don’t get that. They’d prefer that it be a simple, very simple story.
It’s like violence. You know, if you’re making a movie, violence, sex, that sells, that keeps people’s attention. So one of the things that people are just fascinated with, when it comes to the Civil Rights movement, is violence. They say, “Boy, that was violent, wasn’t it? Did you see those dogs? Did you see those firehoses? Did you see them lashing him?” I say, “You know, it’s so interesting, what strikes me as an author is the power of nonviolence. I say, “If it’s a matter of violence, white people have far more guns.” No, I think it was the power of people who were willing to sacrifice, stand up, go to jail, speak God’s truth. That’s the greatest power. Not violence.
So, that leads people, and again, this just tells you about how history changes, that leads people in this day and age, 2015, to say to me, as the author of the book, they come up to me and they say — even tonight, one of the journalists interviewing me before this dinner, “Do you think we’re in an era that’s just like the Civil Rights era?” And she was talking about Ferguson and Michael Brown. She’s talking about what happened in New York, with that man being choked to death by the police. She’s talking about Trayvon Martin. And I hear this all over the country because people want this period now to be just like it was in the heroic days of the Civil Rights era.
And I say, “Well, no, it’s not quite. You don’t understand what people lived through. You don’t inderstand how difficult a time it was that people were able to somehow find a way when there was no way in the ’50s and ’60s in this country. And we are blessed today in so many ways. I say, “When Emmett Till in Mississippi, there was no black attorney general; there was no black president. The man who ran the New York Times was not a black man.” That’s the case today. The world has changed. Levels of education attained, levels of opportunity. We have a different set of problems, we have tremendous economic inequities. We have criminal justice inequities. It requires our constant vigilance and attention. We have our own generational fights to contend with. But it’s not necessary to say that we’re back where we were 50 years ago.
My father would laugh at that idea. That somehow his son could be invited to speak at The University of Alabama for the MLK award. It just wouldn’t have happened. So we can take inspiration from what people have gone through, from the waters that have parted, but we don’t have to imagine that we are back in Egypt. I’m just saying. I think in some ways, it’s a refusal to see progress. Because I think people would prefer a simple story, rather than the very complicated story of race in America today.
Now let me just tell you, the most frequent question I get about this book. The number one question is, Juan, Why is that book called Eyes on the Prize? And I tell them, one, I guess you don’t go to church much. But the second thing I tell them is it comes from an old gospel song. And I’m no singer, but let me just tell you what caught my attention when I called this book Eyes on the Prize was the verse that goes, “Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on, hold on. I know the one thing I did right was the day I started to fight, hold on.”
And we’re talking here about God-given inspiration and purpose and a sense of identity, with the great hereafter. With larger purpose and mission in life. And understanding that our lives are here for others. Understanding that, as Dr. King said, “Darkness can’t drive out darkness; hate can’t drive out hate. Only light can drive out darkness; only love can drive out hate.”
Coming back to Dr. King, when you talk about a principle like nonviolence, you’re not saying that you’re automatically going to change the person who’s hateful, the person who’s racist, the person who is contemptuous of you. No, what we’re talking about, first and foremost, is that YOU will be changed. That YOU will have a greater sense of dignity and purpose, and a sense of your own power to control your life because you choose a path of nonviolence and Christian conscience. That gives you power. And then, with that example in front of you, you hope that others might be moved and see that their lives too can be transformed. That you can build community, that you can build this legacy event at The University of Alabama, as a light to all.
So that’s why when you see young people coming to a book, old people celebrating a book, you come to understand that it’s not about the book. It’s about the living, it’s about generations, it’s about inspiration. And that’s why I thank all of you for inviting me here tonight to be inspired by the winners of these awards, people who are making Dr. King come to life in Tuscaloosa and at The University of Alabama in 2015.
The 26th Annual Realizing the Dream Concert on Saturday, January 17th in the Moody Music Concert Hall on the University of Alabama campus drew a sold-out crowd for multiple Grammy-winning gospel singer CeCe Winans. The concert was one of many events in the Tuscaloosa area honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Following introductions by sponsoring student government representatives Chris Willis, UA, Bayaka Bester Jr., Shelton State Community College, and Joseph Pough, Stillman College, Winans opened the stage with an upbeat song, “Hallelujah Praise.”
“Tonight I realized that I am famous,” said CeCe Winans, “I never saw myself on the same flyer with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And I am honored to be here….”
Winans continued her performance with inspirational speeches and prayers between songs. The audience was moved to sing, dance and pray at their seats along with Winans. At the end of the evening, audience members stood and held hands to sing “We Shall Overcome,” which has become a Realizing the Dream concert tradition.
“Winans was simply the best choice for this special occasion,” said Vice President for Community Affairs Dr. Samory T. Pruitt. “Through her words she provided inspiration and her performance was uplifting.
Among the audience were 20 students from the Center for Community-Based Partnership’s Global Café. Most were international students, invited by the Center for Community-Based Partnerships and Dr. Beverly Hawk, CCBP’s director of program services.
“It gave them an opportunity to learn about American culture and participate in it,” Hawk said. “We like to take them to things in our community and just share our community and culture with them. And Martin Luther King weekend is one of the treasures we have here in Tuscaloosa to share.”
On the evening before the concert, UA hosted the 7th Annual Realizing the Dream Legacy Banquet in the Hotel Capstone Ballroom. “We were honored to have as keynote speaker, Mr. Juan Williams,” Pruitt said. “His speech was remarkable as he described what he believes the ‘living Dr. King’ would have been like today and connected those attributes to the attributes of our honorees. All of the honorees were outstanding and the atmosphere in the Ballroom on Friday night was superb. We are grateful for the many kind notes, emails and comments from those who attended both events. Many of the notes express an appreciation for the opportunity to attend the events and an acknowledgement of the amount of preparation and attention to detail that went into making both events simply splendid. I echo those sentiments. I am proud to have been a part of this effort and even more proud of those who helped to make the events a success. They worked hard to maintain a high standard and because of their efforts, this year’s Realizing the Dream will long be remembered as a special time in the history of the University of Alabama.
UA began the Realizing the Dream concert in 1990 in partnership with Stillman College, when many communities were just beginning to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Several years later, Shelton State Community College and Tuscaloosa Chapter of Southern Christina Leadership joined as sponsors. The Realizing the Dream Committee’s purpose is to continuously raise consciousness about injustice and to promote human equality, peace and social justice.
Still to come in this year’s celebration is Bryan A. Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery and now a professor of law at New York University. Stevenson will deliver the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Lecture March 10 at 7 p.m. on the Stillman College Campus. And June 5–9 at the Bama Theatre, The ACT will perform “Dreamgirls,” this year’s MLK Performing Arts Event. The ACT (Actor’s Charitable Theatre, https://theactonline.com) is a local non-profit.
(Contact: Carol Agomo, 205-348-7405; Ed Mullins, 205-246-3334)
CeCe WinansJuan WilliamsBryan A. Stevenson
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — American gospel singer CeCe Winans will be the featured artist for the 2015 Realizing the Dream Concert on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Moody Music Concert Hall on the UA campus beginning at 7:30 p.m. Sponsors are Shelton State Community College, Stillman College, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the University of Alabama.
On Friday the 16th, Fox News political analyst Juan Williams will deliver the annual Legacy Banquet lecture at the Hotel Capstone beginning at 6:30 p.m.
This will be the Tuscaloosa area’s 26th annual celebration in honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As in previous years, a full slate of special events and memorial activities have been scheduled.
Winans, the best-selling female gospel artist in history, is a native of Detroit. She comes from a large family of singers that include her brother, BeBe, with whom she has recorded many songs. She has won 10 Grammy Awards and sold more than 12 million records. Among her best-known hits are “More Than What I Wanted,” “His Strength is Perfect,” “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” “Heaven,” and “Well, Alright.”
She will be welcomed and introduced by students from UA, Stillman and Shelton State.
Williams is a Panamanian-born American journalist whose career spreads across many platforms, including 23 years with The Washington Post before joining Fox News in 1997. On Fox he is also co-host of “The Five,” where he is one of seven rotating Fox personalities. Williams has also served as a senior national correspondent and news analyst for National Public Radio. He has received many awards, including an Emmy and acclaim for numerous projects, including “Politics: The New Black Power” and “A. Phillip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom.” He is the author of the non-fiction bestseller, “Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954–1965.”
At the Legacy Banquet artist and activist Dr. Arthur L. Bacon will receive the Mountaintop Award; former Tuscaloosa police chief Ken W. Swindle will receive the Call to Conscience Award; and the Horizon Award will be presented to UA student Tyler Merriweather.
Bacon is Talladega College professor emeritus of the natural sciences and humanities. After 40 years as a member of the faculty, staff and administration, the West Palm Beach, Fla. native is enjoying his second career as an artist. He received his bachelor’s degree from Talladega College in 1961, his M.S. in zoology from Howard University in 1963, and his Ph.D. in protozoology, also from Howard, in 1967. Bacon joined Talladega College as biology department chair. During his 40-year tenure his positions also included dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and faculty representative on the Board of Trustees. His many awards include awards for teaching, creativity and research and for securing the college’s accreditation. His artwork was recognized in 2013 in the Artists Showcase of the Palm Beaches, Inc.
Swindle, a resident of Tuscaloosa and 1974 graduate of the UA Law Enforcement Academy, served on the Tuscaloosa Police Department for 34 years and was chief for 20 years. He currently works for Prince, Glover, and Hayes Law Firm where he is chief investigator. Among the many organizations in which he has held office are the State Board of Alabama Special Olympics, Tuscaloosa Police Athletic League, Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police, and FOCUS on Senior Citizens. He is currently president of the Shelton State Foundation Board and the Salvation Army Board. His honors include the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club Police Officer of the Year, the Liberty Bell Award from the Tuscaloosa County Bar Association, Alabama Crime Prevention Network Award and Southern Christian Leadership Conference Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award. A member of Northridge Baptist Church, he serves as a trustee and deacon.
Holt native Merriweather is a junior in elementary education and a staff member at the Boys & Girls Club of West Alabama, Inc. Merriweather’s passion is in encouraging youth not to be victims of their circumstances but to discover victories within those circumstances. His community involvement includes working with Holt Community Partnership and Holt in Action. He is active in the campaign for Holt to become a city and to get a new school, the latter recently approved by the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education. One of Merriweather’s most memorable moments occurred when he was in high school when the April 27 tornado hit. With his community devastated, he joined other students and faculty in providing clothes, toiletries, food, and other necessities for what became one of the largest recovery centers in Tuscaloosa. Merriweather serves as an ambassador for the College of Education and as parliamentarian for the UA Black Student Union. His goals include becoming an elementary school teacher in inner city Tuscaloosa and to launch a black male achievement program.
The annual Realizing the Dream Distinguished Lecture will take place on March 10 at 7 p.m. on the Stillman College campus. Bryan A. Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, will be lecturer. The Equal Justice Initiative is a private, non-profit organization in Montgomery. Stevenson, a professor at New York University School of Law, is nationally known for his work challenging criminal justice system bias against the poor and minorities. He is the author of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, published by Spiegel and Grau in 2014.
Realizing the Dream partner Southern Christian Leadership Conference will once again sponsor Unity Day activities, beginning at 7 a.m., Monday, Jan, 19 with Unity Breakfast at Hay College Center Dining Hall on the Stillman College campus. The Rev. Tyshawn Gardner, pastor of Plum Grove Baptist Church, will be the speaker. Unity Day march will begin at noon at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, and the annual Mass Rally begins at the First African Baptist Church, 2621 Stillman Rd. The speaker will be the Rev. Jeffrey Cammon, pastor of St. Peter AME Zion Church.
The University of Alabama was one of the first academic institutions to join with community partners in holding annual King birthday celebrations. Previous concerts have featured such headliners as John Legend (2014), Take 6 and the Aeolians (2013), the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain (2011), Stillman, Shelton State and UA choirs (2008), opera singer and UA graduate Everett McCorvey (2005), civil rights pioneer and UA graduate Vivian Malone Jones (1999), poet Maya Angelou (1997), actor Sidney Poitier (1996), singer Harry Belafonte (1995), opera singer William Warfield (1991), and actor James Earl Jones (1990). Legacy Lecturers have included journalists John Cochran (2014) and Cynthia Tucker (2013), Rep. Terri Sewell (2012), and author Trudier Harris (2010).
Legacy Banquet tickets are $25 for individuals or $200 for a table of 10. Dress is semiformal. Concert tickets are $15. Tickets for both events will go on sale through the Moody Music Box Office on January 8.For more information about Realizing the Dream activities and events call 205-348-7111 or email community.affairs@ua.edu
Dr. Arthur L. BaconKen W. SwindleTyler Merriweather
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The singing ensemble Take 6 and the Aeolians of Oakwood University will highlight the 24th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Realizing the Dream concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, in the Concert Hall at The University of Alabama’s Moody Music Building. Tickets for the event are $15 and may be reserved by calling 205/348-7111.
The concert is part of a weekend of events organized by West Alabama’s Martin Luther King Realizing the Dream Committee, including a banquet featuring Cynthia Tucker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist formerly with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tucker is a native of Monroeville, Ala., and a graduate of Auburn University. The Pulitzer Prize winning former editorial page editor for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is currently the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer-in-Residence in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
Among the nation’s most recognized vocal ensembles, Take 6, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, has received 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards and a Soul Train Award. Take 6 features Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley. The group was founded at Oakwood University in Huntsville in 1980 and took its current name in 1988. Take 6’s newest recording, “One,” in 2012, is notable for the group’s return to its spiritual heritage.
The Aeolians of Oakwood University is a vocal ensemble founded in 1946 by Dr. Eva B. Dykes. The group has traveled around the world, including a 2012 performance at the Moscow International Performing Arts Center under the patronage of Michael McFaul, U.S. ambassador to Russia. The group’s current director is Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand.
In addition to the concert, the Realizing the Dream Committee will recognize three West Alabamians at a banquet at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, at the Hotel Capstone. Tickets are $25 each and are available by phoning 205/348-7111. Tucker will be the speaker.
Lubna Alansari, a UA undergraduate from Saudi Arabia, will receive the Horizon Award for her work in sponsoring workshops for students in the Alabama Black Belt as well as the student on The University of Alabama campus that focused understanding and working with various cultures around the world.
Dr. Paula Sue Burnham, a former administrator at Shelton State Community College, will receive the Mountaintop Award for her role as a student in supporting the enrollment in 1956 of Autherine Lucy Foster, the first African-American student to be admitted to the University of Alabama as well as for her work in helping women further their education to enter the workforce.
Michael Culver, a transition patient advocate for the Tuscaloosa V.A. Medical Center, will receive the Call to Conscience Award for his work in helping diverse groups of veterans re-enter civilian life.
A Unity Breakfast will be offered at 7 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, in the Hay College Center at Stillman College, and a Unity March will be held at noon Monday, Jan. 20, starting at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School and proceeding to City Hall. Finally, a mass rally will be held at 6 p.m. at the First African Baptist Church, 2621 Stillman Blvd.
This year’s MLK theatrical performance will be Theatre Tuscaloosa’s production of “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” Harlem’s 1930s Cotton Club lives on in this musical revue that pays tribute to the jive swing of Thomas “Fats” Waller. Performances run February 8–17 in the Bean-Brown Theatre on Shelton State’s Martin Campus. Tickets are $22 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $14 for students and children. Discounted rates are available in advance for groups of 10 or more. Tickets and more information are available at www.theatretusc.com or by calling (205) 391-2277, according to Adam M. Miller, managing director of Theatre Tuscaloosa.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Realizing the Dream program exists to raise consciousness about injustice and to promote human equality, peace, and social justice by creating educational and cultural opportunities for growth, empowerment and social change so that every person may experience the bounty of life’s abundant possibilities. The program is a collaborative effort of The University of Alabama, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College.
The most awarded vocal group in history (including 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards and a Soul Train Award) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Members are Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley.
Six virtuosic voices unite in crystal-clear a cappella harmony against a backdrop of syncopated rhythms, innovative arrangements and funky grooves that bubble into an intoxicating brew of gospel, jazz, R&B and pop. With praise from Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston, the multiplatinum-selling sextet has toured across the globe, collaborated across genres, and is recognized as one of the pre-eminent a cappella groups in the world.
At Walmart’s 50th anniversary celebration, Take 6 captivated the audience with its rendition of the Louis Armstrong hit “What a Wonderful World.” Two weeks later, at the behest of producer Phil Ramone, Take 6 thrilled the audience at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards performing with and honoring singer‐songwriter Ben E. King on his classic “Stand by Me.” As a group that knows no musical bounds, Take 6 then brought the house down with its tribute to Woody Guthrie with “This Land Is Your Land.”
Take 6 began in 1980 at Huntsville’s Oakwood College. When they signed to Reprise Records/Warner Bros. in 1987, they took the name Take 6, a play on the Take 5 jazz standard and the fact there are 6 in the group. Their debut album in 1988 won over jazz and pop critics, scored two Grammys and landed them in the Take 6’s debut CD won over jazz and pop critics, scored two 1988 Grammy Awards and landed them in the Top 10 Billboard Contemporary Jazz and Contemporary Christian Charts. Take 6’s 2012 recording on Shanachie is notable because the group returns to its spiritual heritage.
As Take 6 celebrates its 25th Anniversary with a brand new show for the Realizing the Dream Concert, they will share memories of the past as well as reveal what the future holds.
The Aeolians
The Aeolians of Oakwood University began in 1946, the creation of Dr. Eva B. Dykes. The choir has traveled widely, touching the hearts of both young and old. Subsequent conductors include Joni Pierre-Louis, Harold Anthony, Dr. Jon Robertson, Dr. Alma M. Blackmon, Dr. John Dennison, Dr. Ricky Little (a former Aeolian), Eurydice Osterman, Michele Cleveland, Lloyd Mallory, Julie Moore, Norman Crarey, Dr. Wayne Bucknor (a former Aeolian) and the current director, Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand (a former Aeolian).
The Aeolians have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and other prominent national as well as international venues, more than 200 concerts in the United States, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands and Canada. Performances at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Dallas (1980) led to an invitation from the Polish SDA Church in Warsaw, Poland, to tour that country.
Aeolian concerts present a repertoire of choral music that ranges from the Baroque era to the 21st century to Negro spirituals and work songs, which express the yearnings of their forefathers to be free as demonstrated in the group’s album “Oh Freedom” (1974), which sold more than 10,000 copies.
Under the direction of Ferdinand and accompanied on the piano by Dr. Wayne Bucknor, chairperson of the music department of Oakwood University, the choir placed first in 2010 and 2011 in the iSing HBCU Challenge hosted by Reid Temple AME Church in Lanham, Md. In December 2011, the Aeolians were presented with the keys to the city of Huntsville with Dec. 3 the day named in their honor.
In January 2012, as part of the Russia-U.S. Bilateral Presidential Commission on development of cooperation between Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama, the Aeolians were invited to sing at the Moscow International Performing Arts Center. Topping off a stellar 2011–2012 performance season, the Aeolians earned gold medals in all three categories of entrance and the overall championship in the Spiritual category at the Seventh World Choir Games held in Cincinnati.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The singing ensemble Take 6 and the Aeolians of Oakwood University will highlight the 24th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Realizing the Dream concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, in the Concert Hall at The University of Alabama’s Moody Music Building. Tickets for the event are $15 and may be reserved by calling 205/348-7111.