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Manifesting MLK's Dream for Our Nation's Children

By Anna Gilchrist | January 20, 2025

MLK monument in US capitol, Washington D.C.
MLK Memorial in Washington D.C. | Wix Media

Today, January 20, 2025, is the day we celebrate the wisdom and sacrifices of an American leader who fought for the rights of all Americans, especially the oppressed, impoverished, and marginalized - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


Although this year, the holiday simultaneously takes place on the day of the inauguration of one who is considered by many to be the antithesis of what Dr. King stood for, it should not be overshadowed by the great contributions and wisdom that Dr. King left us for challenging times like these.



Seemingly ironic as it is, I believe this moment is happening to remind us what we must do to leave a better world for our children, reach the mountaintop, and see the promised land of progress through his legacy.


Below are some of Dr. King's quotes about important topics that still apply to our society today, including:


His thoughts on Economic Inequality:

“Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God's children.” - Speech to the Negro American Labor Council, 1961.

His thoughts on Poverty and Human Rights:

“If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty and make it possible for all of God's children to have the basic necessities of life, she too will go to hell.” - Speech at Bishop Charles Mason Temple of the Church of God in Christ in support of the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, March 18th, 1968.


Children learning using tablet technology
Children using tablets | Wix Media

His thoughts about Education Access:

“I said to my children, 'I'm going to work and do everything that I can do to see that you get a good education. I don't ever want you to forget that there are millions of God's children who will not and cannot get a good education, and I don't want you feeling that you are better than they are. For you will never be what you ought to be until they are what they ought to be.”


Fortunately, many of the things Dr. King believed in can also be found in my book, I Know My Rights!: A Colorful World of Children’s Rights, which is a fun and engaging adaptation of the human rights treaty for children, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

I Know My Rights! Coloring Book
I Know My Rights! Coloring Book

I leave you with this final quote from Dr. King from a speech he delivered about the Vietnam War at Riverside Church in Harlem on April 4, 1967, exactly a year before his untimely death:


“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there ‘is’ such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”



This is our moment to be proactive against adversity. Let’s come together as a community and use the tools and knowledge Dr. King provided to stand up for our nation’s future, especially for our children.


Sources:

 

Author and Advocate for Children's Rights, Anna Gilchrist
Anna Gilchrist, Author, Illustrator, Advocate for Children's Rights

Anna Gilchrist is a children's author, child rights advocate, and founder of her media company, Sandfish Publishing. She received her dual BFAs in Political Science and Theatre Arts at Virginia Tech, and her MFA in Childhood Studies at Swansea University in Wales. When she is not writing, she loves to spend her free time cooking gourmet meals, singing and dancing to 90's hits, and tending to her multiple plants in her New Jersey home.











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© 2024 by Anna Gilchrist

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