Just the mention of the letters “MLK” and thoughts of transformation enter the mind. His words and spirit continue to inspire action generations following his passing in a way that no one I can recall equals. Brother Dr. King’s life is remarkably motivating, for as we celebrate his legacy, it spiritually convicts and emotionally inspires us to do more in living out the words of “The Dream.”
Birth, life and “The Dream” are words that resonate within us. Too often, as we cross paths with our fellow brothers and sisters, it seems that we only dwell on the possibility of our dreams rather than awaken and determine how to improve the realities facing us.
My reality almost didn’t exist. My mother tells me that she wasn’t awake when she had me during surgery at my birth, where for close to four weeks I laid in a hospital due to a heart murmur. Almost 20 years later, I fell asleep at the wheel, but thank God I didn’t go over a cliff. My dreams almost never came to pass. My reality was almost cut short. Ironically though, in this final year of the Obama presidency, I reflect on how the president first inspired me by saying, “Michael, dream big dreams.” President Barack Obama didn’t want me to be satisfied with achieving what I thought I could but to ascend higher than what seemed possible—just like King.
King’s life ended focusing on economic justice from Operation BreadBasket to standing up for Memphis sanitation workers. May our work now not just celebrate him for a day but transform lives economically for a generation. A similar aspiration and vision occurred by the election of Obama, the epitome of the dream.
I reflect on Inauguration Day 2009, when I had the indescribable opportunity to be on the bus heading up to the Capitol with the King family on their way to see Obama be sworn in as president. The questions still resonate with me: What were they thinking about in those moments? What were they dreaming about at that time? Could they ever have dreamt of this day—a day where King’s life allowed for these dreams to come to life?
Presently, we just heard Obama’s final State of the Union, and many of us never thought we would dream to see the day. He invoked King, the power of words and how we must focus on the future. Realizing dreams, whether it’s voting rights, economic opportunity or criminal justice reform, is about achieving a better future. Dreams are not meant to just stay a dream but inspire our future reality—a reality where Obama became the nominee of the Democratic Party 45 years to the day King spoke of the dream.
As a person of faith, I even pray about the connection between King and dreams because of prophecy in biblical accord resonating from generation to generation, whether it is Solomon to David to Herod. These continual connections bring us to today. How do we change our reality in 2016 so people can truly live out the Dream among their own dreams?
When King came to New York City to celebrate the 100th birthday of W.E.B. Du Bois, he lifted up Du Bois’ academic achievements along with his incredible community organizing skills. On another trip, he was stabbed following a book signing, and after surgery at Harlem Hospital, he didn’t condemn the woman. King always found a way to celebrate life, whether in New York or abroad. He could always inspire us by having a focus on our dreams and the best within us in our lives.
These lives are ones where young Black men can walk the streets without being harassed because of the color of their skin. We have to stop living the nightmare of seeing young Black men shot down and having injustice emerge. This year must be the year when criminal justice reform ensures that dreams live on. This year must be the year where someone doesn’t have to work three or four jobs just to pay their bills to get by but rather realize the dream of having that house and retirement with benefits. This year must be the year where schools will not be called struggling but rather surging. This year must be the year of living and surviving, with the dream that no longer should we have conversations about women being paid anywhere close to 77 cents on the dollar and making sure that equal pay for equal work is the law of the land.
We want to move from not just the dream but to reality. I know it’s possible because we have an African-American president who shows us what is possible. I was named after Jamaican politicians Michael Manley and Alexander Bustamante, and I would have never thought that my mother could go from being homeless in Jamaica and my father could mop hospital floors in the Bronx and then I would not only get to serve the country and this president but be able to go back to the White House now representing my people to the president. That transformational journey is called living out our dreams. But we need to “Raise the Age,” hire more people of color, graduate more students, address poverty, improve affordable housing, reduce homelessness and prove that #BlackLivesMatter.
The dream starts by taking the first step of faith. From King to Obama, from your grandmother to your son, let us take the next step of realizing our dreams.
