What recommendations did Martin Luther King make to both blacks and whites to improve the condition of blacks in America? Have his recommendations been made a reality? Why or Why not?

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man with a great dream. He dedicated his life to the improvement of African American life in the United States, and he continually made suggestions to help improve the condition of the relationship between blacks and whites within our society. The question is to what extent has his dream become a reality, and have his suggestions been used to improve the relationship between blacks and whites?

Martin Luther King Jr. had a philosophy based on the teachings of Jesus and the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi. King was jailed several times, threatened, and beaten, but not once did he turn to violent actions. He did not waste his time telling people how to be hateful. He taught them how to protest nonviolently, with love and peace being his main recommendations to improve the relationship between whites and blacks. King was so involved in his philosophy of nonviolent protests that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. (World Book Encyclopedia, vol. J-K, 1990)

Martin Luther King Jr. said it best when he shared his dream of his four children living in a nation where they were not judged "by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." This could be everyone's dream. A person's skin color does not make them any different from anyone else. Everyone should be classified as a human being, not as someone with a color. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted the races to come together as one and work towards the same goal, which is for love and peace for everyone, no matter what their skin color, origin, or physical limitation.

Out of the many inspirational speeches Martin Luther King Jr. wrote during his lifetime, his most memorable one was the "I Have A Dream" speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963. One particular section of the speech specifically outlined King's dream for the improvement of the relationship between whites and blacks: His dream of America upholding its own standards of every man being equal; his dream of former slaves and slave owners sitting down at the table of brotherhood, and his dream of his children being judged by their character and not the color of their skin. King's hopes for America became the hopes of other Americans and are far from impossible. But, racism in America today is so strong that many are afraid or unwilling to break through it. Martin Luther King Jr. believed it could be broken through, but he also knew it would take all of American society joined together to accomplish it.

Aspects of Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream have lived on and others have been destroyed. The tragic assassination of King should not be considered the end of his dream or the end of blacks fight for equality. It should be the beginning-if anything. Many advances in civil rights legislation were made because of King's death in 1968. (World Book Encyclopedia, vol. J-K, 1990) Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and although he is no longer with us, his dream lives on and continues to grow.

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream."

Martin Luther King Jr.
August 28, 1963

Roberta F.
Brianna B.

Sources:
The New Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia
©1977

"I Have A Dream" speech Martin Luther King Jr.
August 28, 1963

The World Book Encyclopedia,
vol. J-K, ©1990