"In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check.
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Right" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Through his sacrifices, Dr. King paved the way for us. he laid the ground work for all the opportunities we now enjoy. Yet, some of us are squandering those opportunities. He placed money in our names long ago in the bank account of opportunity. If you knew you had been left and inheritance, would you not rush to claim it? Dr. King risked his life to leave us an inheritance. It is ours to claim. I am so grateful for those opportunities. Every day, I am grateful to Dr. King and to all those on whose shoulders we ride.
Seize the Opportunities
Little boy, little girl
Do you know how your history unfurled?
Do you know of the perils of slavery,
of the price others paid for you to be free?
If it had not been for those who went before,
There would be no open door.
Do you know that there was a day when black people
could not learn to read or write?
Can you imagine what that must have been like?
For our people, knowledge became the key to opportunity.
Ultimately, it was the light that led the way to
our forefather being free.
The same holds true today.
Yet, the wisdom that is ours to take is being thrown away.
That's why so many of us live with our backs against the wall
Barely able to crawl.
Our lives are so enslaved
That our desires and dreams are going to an early grave.
We are so blind we cannot see
That we hold the keys to opportunity.
Some are so complacent they cannot see the subtle attack.
Everything we have earned is slowly being snatched back.
We have to fight to keep what we have earned.
We cannot do this if we refuse to learn.
Ultimately, the decision to live right is ours to make.
We have the wisdom to realize that drugs do not give,
they only take.
They take your home, your will to succeed,
Your wife.
They will even take your life.
Are you willing to pay such a price?
No one in his right mind would willingly lay down his life.
Have you considered this?
Wasted opportunities are opportunities we willingly miss.
Do you realize that you are guilty of ingratitude?
Check your attitude.
Are your actions saying thank you to those who paved the way
Or, are you throwing it all away?
There may come a day when what little we have may be stripped away.
We must prepare for that day.
We have to prepare our minds.
There will be no welfare lines,
There won't be anything to fall back on
in our time of need.
So, take heed.
This is a dog eat dog world,
and only the strong will survive.
If you don't have what you need to make it,
you will be eaten alive.
God opens doors,
but he won't make us walk through them.
We have to seize each and every window
of opportunity that comes our way.
We cannot throw anything away.
Everything we possess
was obtained through the blood, sweat
and tears of those who have gone before.
We must be thankful for every open door,
Accepting the challenge and the responsibility
to seize every opportunity.
Copyright 2014: Living the Dream, Patricia Newman-Harris
Dr. King's I Have a Dream Speech
delivered August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.
can be viewed at Americanrhetoric.com