Equal Rights For All

Every year, around Civil Rights Day, I take the time to present Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech.  Granted, this speech was originally presented back in 1963 and had a focus on the rights of African-Americans, but I think it still stands true today, if not more relevant, for the rights of all people. African-Americans, Asian-American, Catholic, Jew, LDS, gay, straight, men, women, rich, poor, we all have one thing in common:

"It would be like white people saying they are European-American. That is totally stupid. I was born here, and so were my parents and grandparents, and, very likely, my great grandparents. I don't have any connection to Africa,no more than the white Americans have to Germany, Scotland, England, Ireland, or the Netherlands. The same applies to 99 percent of all the black Americans as regards to Africa." (Dr. Willian Henry "Bill" Cosby)

Mr. Cosby has very similar meaning behind this quote as Mr. King in his speech.  We are all Americans. We're not African.  We're not German. We're not British. We're not Asian. We are Americans. We should all act like Americans.  We should all treat each other as Americans.  We should all be treated like Americans.  It's as simple as that.  I've yet to figure out why people make it any more difficult than such.

So I do have a dream.  It is a dream where I hope that our children can grow up in a world where they are judged by the content of their character.  Skin color matters no more than hair color. Religion matters no more than shoe size. Weight and height matter no more than eye color.  Orientation matters no more than food preference.  We are all the same people.  We should all be treated as such.

So what is your dream? What difference are you going to make?  How are you going to make the world a better place not only for the next generation, but for now?  There is nothing that says this world cannot be a better place now.  Let's make it so!