In his speech made in august 1963, martin Luther gave his speech in Washington DC which had plenty of messages to the people. Martin Luther highlighted on very many critical issues which addressed the critical issues such as democracy, racism, and other vices which hinders human development. In his speech, he gave the remarks which implied that the vices such as segregation, and discrimination were soon coming to a halt in America. This was a time when racism and discrimination were in a toll order in the United States of America. The Negroes were discriminated by the whites owing to their skin color and as a result of this; the Negroes were denied the leadership opportunities with their leadership qualities and capacities notwithstanding (Holland 13). This was a time when the Negroes were never free to mingle with the whites; they lived alone in the islands of poverty owing to the sanctions that were laid against them.
He acknowledged in his speech that, the declaration of independence and the magnificent words of the constitution implied that all black men and women in America together with the whites were to be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life and liberty and also the pursuit of happiness. It was evident then that America had defaulted on their promissory note as was stipulated in the constitution. This was mainly because there were segregations in the service to the whites and the blacks. The hotels and the social places including the schools and colleges had been built in a way that the blacks were separately taught from the whites. This happened until president Kennedy ordered for the stoppage of the segregation of the whites and the blacks soon before he was assassinated.
In his speech, he acknowledged that there was no more time to take tranquilizing drug of gradualism and that the time to promulgate the promises of democracy as stated in the constitution was then. Martin Luther stated that the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation was then. He mentioned that the time of pursuing the path of racial justice was then. The time to lift the United States of America from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood had come. By this he meant that the all human beings were God’s creatures and that rather than embracing segregation, their time to live together in harmony whilst embracing peace had come.
In his remarks he clearly stated that the breaking of the ties of freedom marked the beginning of a new dawn to the Negroes who had always been sidelined by their white counterparts. Luther emphasized on the need of living together in harmony stating that, in spite of the injustice committed by the whites to the Negroes, it was not in order for the whites and the Negroes to drink together from the cup of hatred and bitterness. Luther stressed on the essence of the existence of the mutual relationship between the blacks and the whites and that it was necessary for the Negroes to conduct their struggle for justice with high plane of dignity and discipline. That way, the Negroes were to attain the desired justice with decorum and sense of purpose.
In his speech, Luther urged the Negroes that, with the militancy which engulfed their community notwithstanding, there was no reason for them to lose trust in the whites since they had shown their willingness to work and live together in harmony by attending Luther’s gathering. This was a clear indication that he whites and the Negroes had a common destiny. Luther reminded the gathering that it was necessary for them to forge ahead as one people and never to turn back again into the dark old days (Luther 17). He maintained that, the only remedy which could bring satisfaction to the Negroes and the Whites was the realization of justice. In the course of their pursuance of justice, most of the Negroes had been sent to jail, some had been subjected to persecutions, while others had been subjected to police brutality. Luther lauded them as veterans of creative suffering and that their working with faith was going to be fruitful ultimately.
Luther urged the Negroes who had been alienated to go back to their home backgrounds in various cities of the United States of America such as Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and to their ghettos and slums in their Northern Cities (Fandell 33). Martin Luther warned the Negroes against living in the valley of despair even with the encroaching difficulties since he had a dream. Luther reiterated that he had a dream that one day the United States would rise and live up to the true meaning of its creed. He had a dream that all detrimental practices which were practiced such as segregation and racism were soon coming to pass and thus equal opportunities for the blacks and the whites would crop up and the American citizens would live together in harmony so as to achieve the American dream.