MLK Dreams for African Americans
Presidential Candidate Barack Obama May Fulfill Dr. King’s Dream
Whether Senator Obama wins the Democratic nomination and subsequential presidential election is irrelevant. He is realizing a desire of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Not biologically related to the late Dr. King, Barack Obama is still the black child King, euphemistically described. Robert Woodson, Vice President of the NAACP said in The Conservative Virtues of Dr. Martin Luther King: “Dr. King was motivated by the best traditions of the black community, in that he believed that personal conduct was important.” “If King's statement [his dream] is true, it doesn't matter who says it. If it is true, it is true. Indeed, everyone should say it. Every one of all races should say it;” said Bill Bennett in the Heritage Lecture #481 in 1993. Presidential candidate Obama seems to have the personal conduct that makes the King dream true.
Conservative View - Bennett continued: “If you said in 1968 that you should judge people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin…you were a liberal. If you say it now, you are a conservative.” Yet, this election year has seen very little commentary on race. Qualifications, experience, ability have all been used to describe Obama but none of the code words implying race have surfaced so far. The nation appears to legitimately view Obama as a qualified candidate, not a black candidate.
Media View - “Barack Obama is pragmatic and down to earth,” said Gloria Borger in November to US News and World Report. New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof said: “Although Mr. Obama is indeed an unseasoned politician, his work before and during his political career proves that he is more than qualified for the Oval Office. His extensive travels overseas, his work with Americans afflicted with dire poverty, and his solid record of anti-proliferation all speak for themselves.” Jim Addison from WB Politics responded to an AP report: “Just what are Obama's qualifications….The guy was a lawyer for a couple of years, a law professor for a couple of years, then spent eight years in the Illinois State Senate before being elected to the US Senate in 2004. He's never run anything larger than his Senate office staff in his life.”
Dr. King’s Dream - In all these reports, pro and con, the content on Obama’s character, his abilities, is discussed, debated and reported - not the color of his skin. Some may feel in order to fulfill Dr. King’s dream, Obama must be elected President: that is an error. Dr King was very succinct in delineating success from accomplishment. Woodson said: “if Dr. King were alive today, he would stand here…and give a message of redemption to young people.” Obama too preaches “hope and change” for America and has transcended the issue of race as a candidate. Today the nation, America, can look at, discuss and evaluate a black candidate based upon his qualification – the dream of Dr. King's!
