What is your dream?
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Residents in the Fox Cities commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a celebration at Lawrence Memorial Chapel. Pictured from left to right: Attendees at the event (far left), Pastor G.A. Manns (top left), Dr. Bola Delano-Oriaran and Vivenne Hotien (bottom left), Brienne Colston, Tony Gonzalez, Rev. Roger Bertschausen, Kathy Flores and Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings (top middle), Dr. Sabrina Robins (bottom middle) and Nicholas Hoffman (top right).
Contributor: Peter C. Kelly, President and CEO at United Way Fox Cities and Nanci Micke, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at United Way Fox Cities
On Monday, the nation observed the Martin Luther
King Jr. holiday. For me, one of the most enduring
memories of Dr. King is his August 1963 I Have a Dream
speech. This charismatic civil rights leader spoke of his vision
for a country that would honor the words in the preamble of our
Declaration of Independence that "all men are created
equal."
What is most moving about Dr. King's speech is the passion and
vision he created for his dream. He shared his dream with
250,000 people that day. His dream inspired men and women of all
ages, colors, and backgrounds to take action and strive for
something they believed in.
What is your dream? What are you willing to stand up for and
proclaim as your vision for a better tomorrow? As the New Year
dawns, perhaps we should make a resolution to dream more. For, as
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The future belongs to those who believe in
the beauty of their dreams."
The message above from Peter Kelly captures the spirit of hope
and passion for our dreams for this community. On Monday evening
the community commemorated Dr. King's dreams at the 24th
Anniversary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. The free
community event featured keynote speaker Gloria Ladson-Billings,
Ph.D. from the Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education and
University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as music and essay contest
winners from local schools.
This celebration offers the opportunity to join hands and sing
together after an evening of uplifting messages and a call to
action to be a force for positive change. United Way is truly proud
to be one of the sponsors of this event.
View more photos from the event.