Celebrating The Dream And The Dreamers

On Day Four of the Democratic National Convention, there was a "Tribute to the Movement and the Man." That man is, of course, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who 45 years ago today delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech.

Martin Luther "Marty" King III said:

I want to focus on the part of the speech that most often our nation seems to forget. Dr. King talked about a check that came back marked with "insufficient funds." ...

A Dream Fulfilled?

45 Years After King's Famous Speech

Exactly forty-five years separate the dates of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" in Washington, DC and Barack Obama's Democratic nomination acceptance speech in Denver, CO. Obama is the first black to accept a presidential nomination from a major political party and his accomplishment serves as a powerful reminder of how far black people have come since 1963. Has the dream King described been fulfilled? Here's Black Voices' report card comparing what he dreamed of and what has actually happened.

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Economics -Then

"One hundred years [after the Emancipation Proclamation], the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity."

Express Newspapers, Getty Images

Economics-Now

The Black poverty rate is no longer 42 percent, as it was back in 1966, three years after King's speech. Yet despite the growth of the black middle class, many blacks are still marooned on an island of poverty. In 2006 the poverty rate for blacks was 24 percent-three times that of whites; the median net worth for white households is $88,000, more than fourteen times that for black households ($5,988).

Mario Tama, Getty Images

Police Brutality -Then

"We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality."

Harry Benson, Getty Images

Police Brutality -Now

Blacks, as well as others, still suffer brutality at the hands of law enforcement. Sean Bell, Abner Louima, Amadou Diallo, and Rodney King are just a few of the more well-known victims of violence by cops.

Time & Life Pictures, Getty Images

Segregation -Then

"We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities."

George Tames, Getty Images

Segregation-Now

While legal segregation is dead and "Whites Only" lodging is a thing of the past, de facto segregation still exists where we live and where our children go to school. Two-thirds of black and Latino students in big cities attend schools with less than 10 percent white students, according to the Civil Rights Project.

Mario Tama, Getty Images

Voting Rights-Then

"We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote."

National Archive / Newsmakers / Getty Images

Voting Rights-Now

Jim Crow laws are dead and blacks are free to vote unfettered now-in theory. In reality, whether by choice or hindrance, blacks continue to vote in lower percentages than whites. Fifty-six percent of blacks voted in the 2004 presidential election, down slightly from 58% in 1964. Meanwhile, states have voter laws requiring picture IDs (an expense hindering a greater proportion of blacks than whites); laws that prevent felons from voting affect as many as 13% of black men (as well as others); voter rolls have been purged of eligible voters-disproportionately black-because their names are similar to those of felons; and other reports of black voter suppression abound.

Discrimination-Then

"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."

Marty said his father was referring to inadequate social services, health care and access to quality education. He continued:

Forty-five years later, where do we go from here? The outcome of the November election will determine whether there is chaos or community.

Senator Obama will not be able to govern alone. For him to be successful as the next President of the Unite States, each and every one one of us has to roll up our sleeves and make a difference through some level of civil engagement. I hope we understand our mission on this 45th anniversary.

Marty said Dr. King's dream will be realized when we have decent health care for all, jobs for all who want to work, affordable housing, and meaningful access to quality education and health care. He added:

When you go down to the courthouse seeking justice, you see more than just us.

The mainstream media have speculated that the election of Barack Obama would mark the end of the civil rights movement. Dream on, says the Rev. Joseph Lowery, president of the Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda:

We don't expect Barack Obama to be a civil rights leader between now and November 4. He can go ahead and be presidential. Leave the agitation to us. The most important thing that Barack can do for the black community and for the nation is to get elected...

He must be presidential and then president of all the people...The advocacy community will continue to do its job. When we speak truth to power, we don't care what color it is. We will hold him accountable. The best thing he can do is get elected.

As African Americans leave behind the "snow-capped Rockies of Colorado," the struggle continues.