To Dream and Hope, Etcetera.

Temple University Japan, in cooperation with the Embassy, sponsored a contest in honor of Black History Month. Students were invited to submit essays, visual creations, or short films on the theme of "Martin Luther King's Dream in a Divided World." Below is one of the winning entries.

By Vicky Darbouze
Temple University

Marches. Hoses. Fighting.
Lynching. Rallies. Rights.
The Sixties was a time for all of this.
A time when a man came to the forefront
To help us along the way.
This King had a dream.
A dream that could not be deferred,
One in which every human was equal and
We could all live together as one people.
Where we are all free.
Some would say that this dream has been reached.
And in a way, I guess it has.

But in this world where there are:
Children dying everyday,
Unnecessary wars,
Riots,
Hunger,
Discord,
Greed,
Etcetera.

What is the dream?
Is it the same dream that The King imagined
On that fateful August day
In front of the Lincoln Memorial?

No.
Because in this world where there are:
Children dying everyday,
Unnecessary wars,
Riots,
Hunger,
Discord,
Greed,
Etcetera.

There is no one dream.
It is no longer an American dream.
It is no longer The King's dream.
It is your dream.
It is my dream.
It is his dream.
It is her dream.
It is OUR dream.

A dream where as a collective,
We will join hands and wait for a day where all people
Whether they be:
Black, White,
Asian, Hispanic,
American, Japanese,
Iraqi, British,
Kenyan, Indian
Etcetera.

Will be able to overlook their differences:
Cultural
Language
Skin Color
Etcetera.

And realize that we are all equals who deserve
Equal Opportunities
Equal Life
Equal Love
Equal Rights
Equal Hopes
Etcetera.

But in this world where there are
Children dying everyday,
Unnecessary wars,
Riots,
Hunger,
Discord,
Greed,
Etcetera.

We are still far away from achieving this dream.
But until then we can all do our parts and use our,

Equal Hopes

To make sure that this dream is not deferred.