I Also Have a Dream Today

This is the eleventh year I have lived in Arizona for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Did you know that Arizona was the last state to start officially commemorating this federal holiday? I didn’t realize that states could decide not to recognize federal holidays, but evidently states’ rights apply here too. Their official reasoning at the time? “Why should the State of Arizona pay employees for a holiday of a non-national leader?”

Of course, this masked racism generated blowback, with organizations, individuals, and performers boycotting Arizona and cancelling events in the state. I have no idea if that associated loss of income offset what the state “saved” by making state employees work on a federal holiday. It certainly generated bad press, failed ballot initiatives, more boycotts, and eventually a ballot initiative that passed in 1992.

Today, I ponder MLK’s dream of a country that judged its people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I think about the character needed to stand up to bullies, racists, and fascists. A friend told me recently that she, as an Episcopal church leader, took part in a peaceful march in Arizona in 1991 to protest this refusal to recognize the holiday. At the time, that was an important stance to take, but it didn’t endanger her life. Today, taking such a stance brings a different set of possibilities.

As I think about MLK’s dream, I also realize how very far this country has fallen in recent years. Too many people become the targets of ICE agents because of the content of their character. This can include people willing to publicly publish the moral reasons why they don’t support the current president and his administration. This includes people serving as legal observers, bearing witness and documenting immoral and illegal acts for future prosecutions once this fascist reign is over. This includes people willing to get out on the streets to protest, record, and share what is happening to our peaceful neighbors, immigrants and true Natives alike.

Like MLK, I dream of a peaceful future in which everyone is treated according to the content of their character. If that were to happen, just about every leader in the current administration would be behind bars. I pray it will happen soon, and I am grateful for all those who are doing their part, in large and small ways, to bring about that day.

What do you dream on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day?