Remembering the Importance of Dreaming & The Famous Dreamer
The beginning of the school year is a fresh start – a time to build on what you've already learned, and get past any challenges you faced during the last school year. “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
"All men [people} dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." -Thomas Edward Lawrence
Dreams are important for all ages. Dreams encompass goals and more. They give your life purpose, direction, and meaning. They shape your life choices, help you build toward the future, and give you a sense of control and hope. They're an expression of your potential and give voice to your talents.
They're a source of pleasure and help develop the self. And they can change the world – just think of those famous words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "I have a dream!" Dreamers are the ones who have the courage and creativity to see beyond "what is" to "what can be" to make a difference in their own life and the lives of others.
Why We Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Celebrated on the third Monday in January, Martin Luther King Day is a national holiday that honors the United States’ most famous civil-rights activist.
The Rev. Dr. King’s peaceful struggle against racial discrimination came to national attention in 1955, when he led a boycott protesting laws that required blacks and whites to sit in separate sections on buses. He was jailed and physically attacked, and his home was bombed, but in 1956 the Supreme Court declared such laws unconstitutional.
In 1963, King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech before a quarter million people during the peaceful March on Washington, D.C. The next year he became the youngest man, at 35, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He continued fighting for civil rights and against poverty until an assassin’s bullet ended his life on April 4, 1968.
Four days later, U.S. Congressman John Conyers introduced legislation providing for a federal holiday remembering King. Coretta Scott King, his widow, founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center in Atlanta, and in 1969 it began holding annual celebrations of King’s birthday (January 15).
The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was signed into law in January 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. The national Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday is a celebration of Dr. King’s immeasurable contribution to the United States, and to humankind.
It is seen as a day to promote equal rights for all Americans, regardless of racial, gender, ethnic, religious, or other backgrounds.
Who was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr?
Widely regarded for his work in leading marches and parades throughout the segregated south in the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. King worked to end racial segregation on public transportation, in public schools and workplaces and calling for racial equality on the national level.
King was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. He followed his calling to become a Christian minister, with his sermons then coming in handy as he was called to the national stage to deliver fervent speeches.
He would soon become the most influential speaker and leader during the civil rights movement given his passionate speeches and willingness to get arrested to move his campaign forward.
King was known for advancing civil rights through nonviolent protests and civil disobedience. He participated in and led marches for blacks' right to vote, desegregation, labor rights, and other basic human civil rights.
In October 1964, he became the youngest man, at age 35, to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his continued fighting on achieving racial equality.
Porterville College invites you to honor and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and dedication to the advancement of civil rights, equality and freedom.
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dream Big This Semester!
Start Here – Go Anywhere – Do Anything
Works Cited
Credits:
Created with an image by lesjbohlen - "sculpture statue mlk"