Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Not all dreams have become or stay nightmares.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Not all dreams have become or stay nightmares.

(ThyBlackMan.com) Many experts in neuroscience and psychology have concluded that dreams are essential for all of humanity. Dreams are needed for our mental, emotional, and physical health. Before August 28, 1963, many Black Americans would contend that their lives in America had been anything but a dream because their lives resembled a continuous ongoing nightmare. It is believed that nightmares are the effects of stress, trauma, depression, and other adverse life events. To this day, some Black Americans are unable to conceptualize dreams because nightmares are all they know.

The Nightmare of Slavery, the nightmare of the Rebellion War,  the nightmare of Reconstruction, the nightmare of the Jim Crow South,  the nightmare of Fighting for Civil Rights, the nightmare of fighting for Gender Rights for black women, the nightmare of mass incarceration in the black community, the nightmare of over-policing and underfunding in black communities, the nightmare of gentrification, the nightmare of fighting to have the right to stay woke, and the nightmare of fighting for Right to show Black Lives Matter, all have contributed to a nightmare that many Black Americans are unable wake up from because this nightmare, has been inherited from one generation to the next.

On August 28, 1963, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about his dream for humanity, especially Black Americans, in his world-renowned “I Have a Dream” speech. American society celebrates Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. every year on His birthday, January 15. Like clockwork, many in the media, academia, and our leaders in our houses of worship all flock to the “I Have a Dream speech.” The dream that the Rev. Martin Luther King spoke of has yet to be realized for many black Americans.  American society has yet to fully live up to being a nation where men, women, boys, or girls can live without being judged by their gender or by the color of their skin, especially if they are black.

Critical, honest, and transparent conversations are necessary to have not just within the black community but with American society at large, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, creed, or gender. For far too long, numerous Black Americans have wondered if the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream still lives. At one time or another, many of us have asked ourselves that daunting question: should I even dare to have a dream, especially since his dream hasn’t come to fruition yet. Many black Americans generally question their capability of having a dream for the society in which they live because, in many cases, they have not been undergirded with positive reinforcements, positive affirmations, positive experiences, or a level playing field. When dreams become insignificant in the eyes, minds, and thoughts of the dreamers, thoughts of apathy and irrelevance become commonplace.

Finish story here; Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Not all dreams have become or stay nightmares.