Remembering the legacy of

Remembering the legacy of

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

By Brenda Simon

"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the
difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a
dream deeply rooted in the American Dream. I have a dream that one
day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its
creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal!’"

1995 ­ This is our wake-up call! Imagine Dr. Martin Luther
King’s horror upon awakening 30 years after his death to a society
in which gross social, economic and political inequality still
breeds based on race, religion and sex. I hate to shatter a dream,
yet I cannot swallow the overdose of an opiate called illusion.

When President Clinton came to UCLA last year, he said that when
our memories overpower our dreams, we grow old. However, when our
dreams become curtains blocking out the light of reality, we
accomplish nothing ­ we never mature. Therefore, we must
examine our goals with a measure of reality to succeed. We must not
abandon our dreams; we need to modify them to attain success. Dr.
King combined idealism with practicality to accomplish greater
equality in his time. Our parents strove to correct inequality.
Now, it is our turn to take action.

We cannot celebrate token successes if we cannot cash in on
equality in all respects. Nor can we gamble human dignity in hopes
of appeasing those already in power. We see greater representation
of minorities and women in positions of power. We see greater
diversity in our university.

We see greater tolerance among people of different backgrounds.
But, these gains should promote more action. We cannot be satisfied
when the death rate for black males aged 18-25 is more than twice
that for white males. We cannot be satisfied when women earn less
than 70 cents for every dollar men earn. And no, we cannot be
satisfied when the high school drop out rate of Latinos is more
than three times that of whites. The time has come to take
action.

So, where do we begin? How about at the source of inequality
­ fear. Prejudice, hate and bigotry are nothing but the
children of fear. We fear that which we don’t understand.
Therefore, to combat fear, we must promote greater understanding.
Only by the open communication of truth through education do we
eradicate fear.

We must respect difference to find the common ground of unity.
Difference can’t be ignored. Can I pretend to have the rich
cultural heritage of a Latina? Can I profess to understand all the
obstacles an African-American male faces? We should be proud of
what makes us unique without allowing pride to induce a facade of
superiority. We must reclaim, not disclaim, our individuality in
order to function as a diverse society. To deny difference is to
deprive an individual the very essence of his or her being.
Appreciation of difference is essential to combatting fear.

Let us end the fear together by practicing openness, respect and
honesty. In five years, most of us will be out of UCLA with luck,
URSA and hard work (not necessarily in that order). As we approach
the dawn of a new millennium, let us not forget the hard work of
our predecessors nor allow dreams to exist as a virtual reality.
Using our dreams as a guide, we will find the oasis of equality
where "our children will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character."

Simon is a sophomore majoring in general chemistry.