The Dream, Revisited: A Story on the Anniversary of Dr. King’s Assassination

The Dream, Revisited: A Story on the Anniversary of Dr. King’s Assassination

As this day comes to a close, I’m reflecting on a heavy truth—today marks 57 years since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

A bullet silenced the man, but not the movement.

Dr. King was taken from us just five years after his “I Have a Dream” speech and four years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation and discrimination in public spaces, schools, and employment.

His death wasn’t just the loss of a leader—it was an assault on the ideals he lived and died for: racial equality, nonviolence, and the radical hope of a Beloved Community where everyone could share in the dignity and wealth of the earth.

I was born after the Civil Rights Act. My generation is, in many ways, the dream realized. We walked through doors opened by the courage of those before us. And yet, on this day, I reflect not just with reverence—but with alarm.

Because if Dr. King were alive today, I believe he would weep.

Not just for what still exists—racism, voter suppression, erasure of history—but for what has quietly returned.

For the first time in 61 years, segregation is legal again in the United States.

In February 2025, the General Services Administration issued a memo outlining changes following a new executive order on diversity, equity, and inclusion. One change? The repeal of a 1965 executive order banning segregation among federal contractors.

The federal government no longer explicitly prohibits segregated restaurants, waiting rooms, or drinking fountains by its contractors.

This isn’t a legal technicality. It’s a moral failure.

So today—on this solemn anniversary—we must recognize that the dream is not a memory. It’s a mandate.

And now, 57 years after his death, it is our turn to answer.

As I honor Dr. King, I also honor those in my own family who stood with him:
    •    Aunt Vera Rahming Ward and Uncle Alfred Ward, who marched with Dr. King in Washington, D.C.
    •    Cousin Johnny Johnson, an attorney who dismantled segregation through the courts—opening venues like the Orange Bowl Stadium and Miami Springs Golf Club once closed to Black Americans.

Their courage lives in me.

Their legacy—and Dr. King’s—is not only remembered, but continued.

#MLK #CivilRights #Leadership #Equity #BelovedCommunity #Legacy

Photo: 23rd Annual MLK Community Celebration & Drum Major Awards. I serve each year as mistress of ceremonies and on the planning committee.