generations as a manifesto of freedom: “I have a dream,” words not actually part of his original speech but spoken as he stood in front of 250,000 supporters ready to start the ‘March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.’ 

“I have a dream,” he passionately spoke, of a world where people “will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character,” where we will all be “free at last!” 

King’s speech addressed the judgement of Black people in America. They were denied full voting rights, publicly segregated from fellow white citizens, and suffered police violence and injustice. Ending this crisis became King’s mission and role in the civil rights movement, and his many efforts quickly turned into social reform. The youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, King dedicated his prize money to the movement. In the same year, the U.S. Supreme Court passed the Civil Rights Act making it illegal to judge people on the basis of race, class, religion or gender. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act finally allowed all Black citizens the right to vote.

 So even while awake, we mustn’t let go of our peaceful dreams. The power of dreams is big and it is in your hand to dream big. Having a dream to follow can give you motivation and purpose in life. It can give you the power to think, act and bring a change. Let’s continue dreaming while permanently marking our world with respect, friendship and kindness.