The life that we
lead is built upon a series of choices. We choose to be the person that we
become. We choose to live the life that we lead. We choose to love the person
that we love and we choose the career that will finance our dreams. There are
some that say that life is a game of chance, that despite your greatest efforts
your destiny lies in the hands of some mystical power, a god, the universe. And
still others believe that our existence and our successes are built upon the
strategies of a game, that we are capable of playing a masterful round of chess
with our every step in life. I believe that life is what you make of it and not
simply what is dealt before you.
The history of
our world is built upon the backs of men and women who refused to accept the
destiny that was placed before them. Our world has been shaped and molded by
those that refused to participate in the maintenance of the status quo. By
souls who found within them the character to advance this race called humanity.
We stand here today because of the constant efforts of men like Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. who was named after the German priest and theologian, Martin
Luther who boldly nailed his grievances upon the door of the chapel of
Wittenburg, setting the stage for religious freedoms. We are here because of
the selfless acts of brave men and women like Harriet Tubman, who risked her
life in the midnight hours escorting slaves, human beings to freedom, like
Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected representative in American history who
was murdered because of his character, like William Wilberforce, who fought mightily
for the abolition of slavery in the British empire, like Mahatma Gandhi, who
did not fight but rather stood as a solemn witness against injustice, peace was
his message. We stand here today because of women like Helen Keller, who ignored
the disadvantages that she was dealt and stood at the forefront of the women’s
suffrage movement, like Eleanor Roosevelt who championed the inalienable human
rights of all mankind, and believed in the power of each human child to dream
their beautiful dreams.
The great
Reverend Doctor said that “I have a dream that my four little children will one
day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character.” Our character is the measure by which
we should be judged. There is still much work to be done.
We live today in nation that was founded upon the
best ideals of equality at the time. I believe that our founders knew that
their work was not the culmination of human excellence but rather the gateway
that would lead us to a path of constant amelioration and the advancement of
humanity. Their efforts were but a first step. Each advancement of humanity has
been but another step in the right direction, a commentary on the character of
the human race.
I believe that that Dr. King’s dream is still alive
stirs within the hearts and minds of our great generation. But dreams shall remain
nothing more than reverie without the constant vigilance and effort of the
dreamer to bring to reality all that he or she holds dear. I believe Human
Rights and equality, the dignity of our species, is not a destination. We cannot
arrive at justice or peace. There is no place called perfection. There is no
mountain called moral rightness. No building called compassion, No address
along the great boulevard of benevolence. This thing called good, called
character, called right. It is a journey that demands the heart of every man
and woman. Human Rights and Equality might visit us for a brief moment but there
is constant work to be done. And it is our choices that will ultimately dictate
the true content of our character.
It is our character and the small and simple choices
that we make each and every day that we, our generation, will continue to
change this world and advance our progression along this majestic path of
equality. We must rise against injustice and like Rosa Parks sit at the front
of that bus despite the mandates the might otherwise prohibit it. We must
boldly stand in the face of fear and like the men and women who lost their
lives on Tiananmen Square stand sure in our struggle for equality. We must
slowly and steadily chip away the walls the divide us and seek unity like those
that brought down the Berlin Wall. We must hold the hands of our brothers and
sisters regardless of their outward traits and walk with them along the course
of right. I believe that this change will begin not in the halls of Congress or
the monuments of democracy but rather in our homes, our classrooms, our
churches and in our simple actions. This change comes from within.
I believe that we have within us the determination to
choose action over acquiescence. I believe that our generation will see far beyond
the labels of affirmative action. I believe that one day soon two men who love
each other will stand on these very steps a vow their heartfelt love for one
another in marriage. I believe that one day soon that the walls that line our
borders will be torn down and we will refuse to discriminate based upon
immigration status. I believe that one day soon the women that brought life to
each and every one of us will be respected enough to receive equal pay and
benefits. I believe that our children will show us a greater path to justice
and we will turn to the innocence of youth as our guide along our journey
toward greatness. I believe that one day soon all nations will embrace the
linguistic diversity that enriches our world and American and Chinese, Rwandan
and Indonesian, Brazilian and Tahitian will speak together without language
barriers. I believe in the power of our great human race to do good, to be
greater than we are.
I believe that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamt of
the choices we would make to lift us up out of the dredges of our existence. He
dreamt of a world that would continually move toward something better and
change to become bolder than before. His dream was a call to action not a
destination. We have so far yet to go. But I believe that this generation will
not stand idly by and allow the momentum of these great men and women to be
lost. I believe that our generation will do its part and change this world. I
believe that as we turn outward to serve all mankind we will find within us the
character to be that change we long to see in this world.
So ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, we
must take head, and rise up for that call to action. Live that you might be
judged NOT by the color of your skin, the language you might speak, your class,
your caste, your gender or gender-identity, your religion, your nationality, your
intellectual or physical disability, your creed your tribe, your sexual orientation,
your age, your family status, your access to education, your employment or lack
thereof. Choose to live that you might not judge at all. Live that you might be judged solely by the
content of your character.
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