Martin Luther King and His I Have a Dream Speech, 50 Years Ago Today

50 years ago today, the brave, bold leader that was Martin Luther King Jr. took centre stage of America's view in the Mall and Lincoln Memorial to talk about civil equality. His was a message for the equality of all people, not just Blacks as some people may like to think. In fact, a quarter of the 250,000 who showed up to see him speak on that hot August day were white! Regardless of the colour of the people who listened to King speak, they showed up because they wanted social equality for all, and not live in a country where a small elite few controlled the masses by keeping them down.

I'd like to give you an idea of how long ago 50 years is from 1963 to present day; that would be like being in 1963, and having a look back at 1913. Cars were barely on the road, the airplane was still a experiment in human engineering, and there were still horse and buggies on the streets. 1963 was light years away from 1913.

Except in civil rights...

Although there were massive advances in technology and human engineering during that span of those 50 years, very little was done about civil rights for all Americans who were created equal in the eyes of God, but not treated as such before the law. "Separate but Equal" still ran its course.

The courage King had to deliver this speech was unparalleled. His message of love, kindness, equality, and civil rights for all were long overdue in society, and here stood the perfect man to address the issues at hand. These were the days of Camelot and JFK, and it all took place 50 years ago today.

I am so thankful for powerful leaders such as Martin Luther King. His legacy can never be measured by how impactful his speech was that day. Things started to move after that day. It may have taken a long time to get there, yet there was progress in having every human being be heard, understood, accepted and respected regardless of age, skin colour, sexuality, religion or any other factor to discriminate against.

Is the world perfect now because of Martin Luther King's speech that day? Of course not. It will never be free from human injustice at the hands of those who want to control the power of the world. However, I would like to think it was all part of the plan to get empowerment in the hands of able-bodied people who could pass these tools to the next generation so that someday, we will realize that we are all souls of no colour, religion, sexuality and ageless. We are all spirit beings having a human experience, laughing about what we "look" like in this life in order to teach us the lessons we are here on earth to learn.

So thank you for your life of service Dr. King. Thank you for inspiring in others, the hope you held for all mankind. It cost you your life to do it, and it has been a wonderful message and a lasting legacy that you would have been proud of.

God Speed Martin Luther King Jr. wherever you are...