We are THE DREAM by Reginald O’Neal Gibson at the Eichelberger Amphitheater first Annual Unity Walk

To be present, one must know their past. To be future, one must continue in wisdom. The dream was only the beginning.

Reginald O’Neal Gibson

Dr. King not only spoke into the depths of our souls, but he also impressed upon our minds by way of analogies. Images that sparked our imaginations and to some, their greatest fears. People tend to forget, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t about violence, nor was he about raising a people against their nation, but rather a man standing firm within his constitutional rights to choose peace and forgiveness in the face of iniquity. He spoke eloquently and passionately when he shared these words,  

“I HAVE A DREAM!” 

“I SEEN THE PROMISE LAND!” 

And never forget that one day,

“CHILDREN WOULD NOT BE JUDGED BY THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN, BUT BY THE CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER . . .”

I stand before you today and profess, I as well share a common thread in the fabric of a manifested unity, bonded strong in righteousness! Having said this, I too have seen the promised land by way of birth through God’s greatest creation, and within this land, I submit unto you, I AM THE DREAM!

Please understand, this comes with great responsibility. The responsibility to not only accept that I am the dream but to acknowledge and affirm that YOU are the dream as well! So it should go without saying, that if I am the dream, and you are the dream, then together we embody the dream and dwell within the promised land together! Why? Because we live in a time such as now! 

Only there’s one remaining issue. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t just speaking about blacks and whites coming together as one. He understood the human condition to withdraw upon the insecurities of a manifested sickness, already saturated within the hearts of the wicked. Which is why he often spoke in analogies. Please understand, If I am the dream, and you are the dream, then the next step in human evolution is to come together and take action! In other words . . . we must wake up, the alarm of our created purpose is going off!  

In today’s societal norm, it’s as if we’ve lost our way, forgotten the core truth within our history and as such, wondering aimlessly again in a wilderness, but this time it’s created by our own idealistic insecurities. I submit unto you, that the tyranny we now face isn’t so much about the color of our skin, albeit it’s still a remaining factor, but now there’s another threat conquering the horizon. That is, the content of our children’s characters are now under relentless attack! Moreover, it doesn’t appear as if we’re creating more Dr. Martin Luther Kings or the like thereof, apparently that’s to much power for a good man or great woman to have, especially if the negative powers that be aren’t using them as puppets to sell a product. 

Our children are growing up to idolize reality television shows, millionaire sports figures coming right out of high school, and the glitz and glam of any soundtrack proclaiming to be that of a musical artist!  Lost is the interpersonal communication skills needed to uphold unity and bond, found is the manifested lust of becoming what is NOT, nor truth, value or purpose by way of an unguarded mind.

This imagery doesn’t remotely appear, to be the promised land that I’ve prepared to die for. Please understand, If I’m the dream, and you are the dream, we together embody the dream! And as such, we must wake up, take action over our lives and our children’s lives, and lay waste to our new opinionated and old discriminatory ways, and unify as one. It is in this, we can build a bridge from the dreamland to that of a great manifesting reality in unity!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret I’ve held for many years. As a teen, I didn’t particularly care for Dr. Martin Luther King Day, allow me to tell you why. First of all, I was born about six months after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ultimate sacrifice for the equality of mankind. In school, we covered his story briefly among the studies, which lasted less than a few days. So I didn’t truly understand what he stood for, let alone died for. All I knew was if a good man spoke up, chances were he’d get a bullet in return. Same for Malcolm X, JFK, and various other great leaders. So when Dr. Kings Day came around, I’d already had pre-existing fears of purpose driven men being assassinated, but that’s not the only reason I shunned this day. 

Turns out my biggest issue wasn’t the fear or anxiety,  it was the lack of representation in the face of hypocrisy. Obviously a statement resulting per the environment that tore at my soul as a young adult desperately in need of a mentor or competent leader!

I’d see black people on Dr. Kings Day throwing their hands up yelling “Black people did this, and black people did that” but the ones that we’re speaking and shouting as a representation of my culture were blatantly hypocritical or corrupt in some kind of way but then again,  that was the product of my environment. In other words, if I didn’t have a positive mentor, how could I believe in leaders, let alone become one myself. This is why I thank Dr. King for his sacrifice, his spiritual analogies and his stance in the face of inequality, solidified as his life’s work. As a result by way of spirit, early in my childhood, I set out with a personal journey of my own which is to be the unblemished leader I was called to be. Again, I absolutely love what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood for and as such, I too came to the realization that through the trials and tribulations of my own story, that in me was the promised land Dr. King dreamt about. 

So now, with an encouraged heart and enlighten soul, I take up my cross to bear and I say unto you, that if I am the dream, and you are the dream, we embody the dream! Therefore it’s of utmost importance for us to wake up and build this bridge of unity together! Not for idealistic purposes of self, but for the sake of our children, our history, and a unified future!

Lastly, allow me to reiterate. I absolutely love celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Day but please know, it takes more than remembering the past, we must also prepare for our future, because an even greater threat to all mankind is on the horizon.

– Reginald O’Neal Gibson

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Day!