OldTroubador's blog post - Let Freedom Ring!!!

The 1960’s were a turbulent time in this country. The rise of the counter-culture, the ever deepening spiral of the Vietnam War, and the realization that racial injustice, especially the de jure segregation of Jim Crow laws, was an anathema to society. From this unrest came a voice, the voice of a preacher who was also the son of a preacher. He preached that all men and women were created equal, that none were more equal than others. He asked not for special treatment, but equal treatment. He chose a path of peace to foment change, instead of violence. He sought an end to the words spoken by Strom Thurmond, “We have separate bathrooms for men and women. That is segregation, but by no means is discrimination.” He took the words of our forefathers and held them up for all to see for the hypocrisy that those words had contained for the previous 190 years. And he spoke of a dream, a dream that died on 4 April 1968, on a motel balcony in Memphis, TN.
Nearly 50 years ago, one of the greatest speeches of all time, in my opinion, was spoken by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Today, we celebrate the birthday of this man who wanted all people to be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.