Boulevard Dreams
Now is the time to look closer.
Special Edition: In 1964, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech to an audience of nearly 15,000 supporters at a Religious Witness for Human Dignity event hosted in L.A.’s Memorial Coliseum. At the time, the Civil Rights Act was stalled in the Senate, despite the momentum of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech just one year prior. His words would motivate then-President Lyndon B. Johnson to break the Senatorial stalemate and, by July 2nd, 1964, sign the Civil Rights Act into law.
“Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to open the floodgates of opportunity and allow now an avalanche of justice to pour upon us. Now is the time to get rid of segregation and discrimination. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children. This is the challenge of the hour.”
-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As stated during his Religious Witness for Human Dignity speech at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. May 31st, 1964.
I traveled through time today and spent my afternoon at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum volunteering for LA Works’ MLK Day Volunteer Festival to support wildfire relief efforts. Looking out at the main stage, I pictured how Dr. King would have embraced the hopeful energy of the audience and reminded everyone of the importance of their contributions, no matter how small.
The pathways to assist and persist on the road to preserving the integrity of American democracy are fueled by collective actions in service of community —coalitions of everyday people working alongside public servants and socially responsible stakeholders towards equity on mission critical issues, such as education, housing, food access, and healthcare. In contrast to an inaugural address that veered into territories of divisiveness, America at her best is not a place of retribution. America at her best is those moments that honor the legacies of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King, where everyday people are quick to lend a hand to those most in need, regardless of their race, status, gender, or creed.
If we lose faith in our ability to persuade those with the most divergent views to our own, hate wins. If we allow tactics of fear, manipulation, and disorientation to affect how we show up for one another, hate wins.
Now is a time not to look away, but to look closer. Now is a time for ingenuity.
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For those in need of wildfire assistance or those in a position to donate time or funds, explore possible avenues for community restoration in our recent post:
As always, thank you for your support of independent storytellers, your love of democracy, and above all, your commitment to humanity.
Stay the course,
Sam
P.S. ’s latest is a testament of hope. Give it a read.