Be Grateful (Day 4)

Our country has a long way to go in its battle against racism. I still worry about the type of country it will be for my mixed race nephew. Will he struggle because his skin is darker than mine? Will he be made fun of or put down because he looks different than the majority of his classmates? We are taking small steps every year, every day, but I am still not confident that the answer to these questions will be no. Yet, today I am still eternally grateful for Martin Luther King Jr and the changes he made possible in our country and our world.

Because of MLK we are all able to dream about a better country, a better world.

I dream that one day my LGBT friends will have the same rights as me; not in spite of their sexual orientation but because of their sexual orientation. I dream that one day my children will know a world without racism. I dream that the American dream will continue to flourish. I dream that Barack Obama will not be our only non-white president. I dream that one day Americans will not have to worry about how they will pay for health care because it will be seen as the right that it is. I dream that we will leave our kids a better world that the one we received and that they will continue the trend. I dream that my generation will be able to bring America out of this selfish obsession with money and power. I dream that instead we will be obsessed with equality, social justice and bettering our planet. I dream that we will continue to be proud of our country's accomplishments instead of embarrassed by its blunders. I dream that my grandfather and father will not have served this great country in vein and that the men and women who serve us today will be treated with the respect they deserve. That they will be supported instead of ignored when they return from duty. I dream that those who cannot afford a college education will have options other than to join the military. I dream that one day patriotism will not be associated with conservative fanaticism. I dream that Martin Luther King Jr's words will always ring true, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice".