Forty-five years ago,my father,Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,proclaimed his dream for America that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. His words,spoken in Lincolns shadow on August 28,1963,will echo profoundly on January 20,2009. The ideals that Abraham Lincoln and my father championed will advance when Barack Obama takes the presidential oath of office. In the years since that march on Washington,our nation has come much farther than the two miles that separate the Lincoln Memorial from the Capitol. Martin Luther King Jr. would be extraordinarily proud of Mr. Obama for becoming the nations first black president. Perhaps more important,he would be proud of the America that elected him. As I watched events unfold on Election Day at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where my father was co-pastor I was overcome not only by the jubilation that enveloped the church but also by a deep sense of pride and triumph. Of course I shared in what felt like a national catharsis. But for me,Mr. Obamas victory was intensely personal.
I was 10 years old when my father was assassinated. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life to break down barriers in our countrys struggle for equality. He gave his life fighting to give all of us a chance to realise his dream. On the dawn of this historic inauguration,I have reflected on the times that my father and I were able to share together. Even as a child,I knew that he was doing something big,though I was not quite sure of the magnitude. Ive remembered the time I was teased by classmates who called my father a jailbird. When I came home from school in tears,my mother told me that your father goes to jail to make the world a better place for all Gods children. I went back to school with a new sense of pride. Ive thought about the amusement park I so desperately wanted to go to but couldnt because of segregation. My father assured me that one day Id be able to. I quantified success like any young boy; I knew my fathers work must be bettering the world if it would eventually allow me to ride the bumper cars.
I have dedicated my adult life to continuing my fathers work and to perpetuating his legacy. In five years,the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington will be upon us. As we prepare to celebrate a new page in American history Tuesday,let us pledge to reduce the poverty rate 20 percent by the time that milestone arrives. Let us promote community building by funding programs that promote service to our most impoverished regions and let us embrace nonviolent resolutions to all conflicts,domestic and international. I have faith that the American people and the leadership of President Obama will usher in the day when all of us black and white,rich and poor,young and old stand together and work to realise my fathers dream.
