Commentary: First steps to fulfilling a dream and a promise
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24)
A UMNS Commentary by the Rev. Chester Jones*
Nov. 20, 2006
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The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his
famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in
1963. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.
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Though his voice was silenced by an assassin's bullet in Memphis on
April 4, 1968, at the young age of 39, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
words and ideals are still with us, still a part of our national and
cultural consciousness.
An assassin's bullet could not kill the dream even though it killed
the dreamer. That shared dream serves as a wake-up call to our nation at
a critical time in America's history.
On Monday, Nov. 13, a chilly, gray morning, I experienced a
heartwarming Emmaus moment when I attended the historic, ceremonial
groundbreaking on the National Mall in Washington, for a memorial to
honor this courageous hero and leader of America's nonviolent civil
rights movement.
It was a proud day for all of us who believe in what this man of
peace represented. Despite the bad weather, many people brought their
children to be part of a great history lesson.
Two U.S. presidents were there, joined by popular talk show host
Oprah Winfrey, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), poet Maya Angelou, fashion
designer Tommy Hilfiger (who has made the largest donation to the
memorial project so far), and three of Dr. King's adult children.
There was also a host of other icons and stalwarts of the civil
rights movement who marched with Dr. King, including former U.N.
Ambassador Andrew Young, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, and Congressman John
Lewis (D-Ga.). The absence we all felt in our hearts, however, was of
Coretta Scott King, Dr. King's widow, who slipped from our embrace in
January, too soon to witness this historic moment in our presence.
The King Memorial will be the first on the Mall to honor an African
American, as well as the first not built to honor a president or war
hero. Some African Americans feel the memorial is a mere down payment on
the debt that was promised and is still owed to every African-American
family who endured slavery and racial discrimination. Many feel it is
about time that a memorial to a person of color is built on the Mall.
Who could deserve that honor more than this leader of the modern civil
rights movement?
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The Rev. Chester Jones
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Dr. King was a Baptist minister and preacher "who just wanted to be a
great pastor," said his youngest child, the Rev. Bernice King. However,
God gave him the world as a parish and pulpit, and he used the depth and
breadth of his influence to pull this nation out of the pathetic pit of
racism and discrimination.
It was no accident that the groundbreaking ceremony for his memorial
was held on the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision that
outlawed racial segregation in public transportation.
Dr. King spoke to an America long blinded by racism and ensnared by
segregation. Many of its white citizens were like the rich man in the
Bible who passed by the beggar Lazarus every day but pretended not to
see him. (Luke 16:21) Dr. King used his pulpit to remind this nation
that she was treating her African-American citizens like the rich man
treated Lazarus.
The King Memorial will stand as a lasting tribute to a great American
who taught us that all people are made in the image of God. He reminded
the nation in the darkest hours of the civil rights movement that there
are no exceptions to the promises made in the Declaration of
Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal . . ." We still have work to do to achieve the promises
made in that noble manifesto and to help this nation fulfill Dr. King's
dream.
Congress authorized the establishment of a memorial to Dr. King in
1996. It is being built to honor the ideals and sacrifices made in the
fight for freedom and human dignity for all people. "This is a memorial
to the man who redeemed the promises of America that Jefferson and
Lincoln made," President George Bush said in his tribute at the
groundbreaking.
President Bill Clinton, who signed the bill to build the memorial,
said, "Jefferson told us we were all created equal and Lincoln abolished
slavery; but both left much undone." He praised Dr. King for his
commitment to nonviolence and social justice in his efforts to end
poverty, a goal that has not yet been achieved.
Former Senator Jack Kemp said, "Dr. King's dream was not just for black folks and white folks, but for all folks."
When completed in 2008, the King Memorial will sit on a four-acre
plot of ground on the National Mall, between the Lincoln and Jefferson
Memorials. About $30.6 million of the estimated $100 million needed has
been raised, thanks to gifts from many individuals, corporations,
churches, organizations, and the dynamic leadership of Dr. King's
fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., who conceived the idea. I
have made a contribution to the fund, and I encourage others to do the
same.
Many of Dr. King's sermons and speeches will be archived at the site,
including his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, given on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. Civil rights leaders like Andrew
Young, Jesse Jackson and John Lewis teared up at the end of the
ceremony, when they took shovels and dug dirt from the ground on the
Mall to officially close the groundbreaking ceremony. Gospel singer BeBe
Winans sang "Oh, Happy Day" with the Ebenezer African Methodist
Episcopal Church choir.
The shoveling of dirt from the ground did not end the ceremony for me
but reminded me of the Good Friday and Easter ceremonies and
celebrations we have in churches each year. Those services remind us as
children of God that "We fall down, but we rise up." That is one of the
essential lessons taught in the church.
*Jones is top staff executive of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related Articles
MLK's message remembered at memorial groundbreaking
In yearly letter to King, bishop remembers Rosa Parks' impact
Commentary: Remembering Coretta Scott King, first lady of civil rights
Commentary: 'I was a stranger and you welcomed me'
Resources
Walking with King
Civil Rights
General Commission on Religion and Race
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