Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream Turns 50

Culture

Seven exceptional New Yorkers reflect on the enduring legacy of Martin Luther King’s March on Washington 50 Years Later

There are things that you will forget in a lifetime. And then there are things that you will not forget—cannot forget, regardless of whether you were there to bear witness or not. Martin Luther King’s epic march on Washington 50 years ago is one such thing. On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people gathered to hear Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which has since become an integral part of our national consciousness, and to rally for job equality and freedom for black Americans. Indeed, for all Americans.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary, we asked seven amazing New Yorkers for whom the tenets of King’s vision have especially resonated to weigh in on the impact of that day in Washington, and of King’s dedicated efforts to end racial segregation in America.

I had absolutely no reason to go to the March on Washington. I did have an assignment to write a future profile of James Baldwin, and he was speaking at the March, but following him amid multitudes would be impossible or intrusive, and besides, I could hear him better on TV. Also, the press was full of warnings about too few people and failure, or too many people and violence—the March was being called too radical for going forward despite pleas from the White House, and not radical enough by Malcolm X for being too focused on Washington. For all of these reasons and more, I decided not to go right up until I found myself on the way.

Awash for hours of quiet conversation in the crowd, I finally climbed a few stairs of the Lincoln Memorial, turned around—and saw a sight I will never forget. An ocean of people stretched over the green, past the reflecting pool and all the way to the Capitol, everyone calm, not even pressing to be closer to the speakers, like a peaceful and determined nation within a nation. At the end, Dr. King read his much anticipated speech, and I heard Mahalia Jackson call out, “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” He began a litany from memory, with the crowd calling out to him: “Tell it!”

I thought: I wouldn’t be anywhere else on earth. If you ever feel drawn to a place you have absolutely no reason to be, go. Something mysterious tells us where we should be.

As a child, Martin Luther King’s voice was a current, like a living thing, that ran through our house—it set a moral bar we were all expected to reach for. In my adult life, I divide my time between making films and working with teens in the media arts. Sharing films with teenagers and helping them make their own movies has proven a practical way to voice debate and oppose inequities. I decided to share the opportunity of this commemorative piece with a young man named Messiah Rhodes, who I mentored as a teen, and who is now a Fellow at Democracy Now. He had this to say about King’s legacy:

I am 27 years old and was not around when Martin Luther King made his famous speech. But as an African-American, on a personal level, this is what I know: My grandmother’s house was mistakenly raided by police; my girlfriend, her sister and a lot of my friends have been detained and/or jailed by police not because they committed a crime but because they were in the “wrong place at the wrong time.” I don’t think we should stop valuing individual achievements—African-Americans like President Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Jay Z have shown us there is a way to break the glass ceiling. But what about the rest of us—how do we move forward as a community? As Martin Luther King said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” For me, organizing and being around other young people across race and class lines is my infinite hope.

Dr. King’s dream continues to instill in me a sense of greater possibility. He has given me license to create and offer a vision for a future that we should have. Criticizing and pointing out injustices is not merely enough to ignite social change; we must provide an affirmative vision for our future, for the world that we’d like to see and the steps we must take to ensure that our dream becomes reality. Dr. King taught me that I, too, can have and become my dream.

Superficiality, racism, homophobia, sexism, ignorance, is just plain selfishness. It is amazingly heartbreaking how some in positions of power in this country suppress and/or work to deny others the American dream. Oppressors and liberators come in many disguises: presidents, preachers, politicians, executives, producers, personalities, celebrities, curators, writers, critics, artists, competitors, etc. It does not matter if it is racial, gender, sexual orientation or religious bias. We all have the natural right to live out our dreams. Flawed and all. The content of character within any of us is in perfect order all the time. Equality is also forgiveness. To those who judge from a tainted perception, flaws should not be used as an excuse to suppress either.

For me as an Indian immigrant, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington is a chance to reflect on King’s embrace of Gandhian principles of non-violence. I work every day to carry the fight against all forms of racism into the present and future. That struggle is endless, but it is also beautiful, joyous, fulfilling.

The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington signifies a moment of profound reflection, particularly in light of the country having its first black president in the White House. While it is more than appropriate to honor Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, I find it too easy because this society has such a long way to go on equality-racial and class. Further, if we’re going to honor the March on Washington and its legacy, I think now more than ever we must raise up people like John Lewis, Bayard Rustin and A. Phillip Randolph, as individuals without whom the March could never have happened.

It’s ironic that the March was about jobs, housing and economic prosperity; challenges as worse today as they’ve ever been.

The March on Washington reminds me that great, previously unimaginable change, has taken place in our country when thousands of us come together based on shared dreams and values, and taken action. We as people have tremendous power to make change if we choose to seize it. Dr. King introduced a notion of love and power that provides guidance for those of us who seek to change the world today. From another speech, King said, “What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best, power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.”

This story was originally published August 28, 2013.