Ringing a Bell for Freedom

In a capitalistic society that places value on egalitarianism and protestant work ethics, we here in the United States still do not have access to jobs, quality education, or a true sense of freedom. On the 50th anniversary of the I Have a Dream speech, delivered by Martin Luther King Jr, I have to wonder what has happened to our call for justice and equality for all people in this country? Is it still as important to us as it was then? Have we become complacent in our perception of freedom and justice in this country? Have the black and brown forgotten that this system of inequality will continue to oppress our children as it did for us, even though our parents fought?

I wonder these things all the time, I know that I am not alone. On the anniversary of this monumental moment in history, I remember my mother’s stories of segregation, my Aunt Thelma’s stories of cleaning the White woman’s house as a child, and my father’s desire to work all of his life to provide for a present that showed something different than his past…… opportunity.

Our society has always had values that were fashioned for some, and not all. The social darwinism that our society has practiced for hundreds of years has become interwoven into the fabric of Americanized thought. Yet I believe we are ALL worth it. My Gods tell me that all people deserve the opportunity to live, love, prosper, worship, and enjoy this here life.

And so I ask that we all take a moment, think about what this world could be for our children and our grandchildren, and push our energy towards a vision of equality that we have never had here. I will not leave my future family to fight a battle that I did not fight to stop.

At 12:00 West coast time, 3:00 Eastern, people around the country will be ringing a bell for freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on that platform 50 years ago and gave his I Have a Dream speech at that exact time. He asked us to let freedom ring from every mountain top.

Today, I will ring my bell for freedom. It is our shared vision that will create further progress towards a world we all want to live in.