Law Day Student Essay: Realizing the Dream

by John Radford
Student, Champion Theme Middle School

There are some people who are realizing the dream, but the dream is not being realized for all. Realizing the dream can mean many things. For some, their realized dream could be opening their own business or buying their first house. To others it can mean seeing their sons and daughters graduating and getting married and having their own families. The dream realized is a broad term and one for which everyone may have his or her own definition.

For some minorities, such as African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians, we had a dream that was simple yet common among us. That dream was to end racial discrimination and to have the same rights as anyone else. For some, that dream has been fully realized. But others haven’t fully realized that dream.

For some who have realized the dream, like my grandparents and great-grandparents, being lucky enough to be alive and witness the first African-American President being sworn into office not once, but twice, is a dream come true. Other dreams have been accomplished too. Other minorities have been able to become senators, mayors, governors, representatives, city council members and other government officials.

The dream has been realized in our communities when we see African-American, Latino, and Asian police officers, judges, principals, doctors and firefighters. The dream has been realized for minorities in business. There are hundreds of African-Americans, Latino, and Asian entrepreneurs at both the small business and corporate levels. The dream has certainly been realized for those in the entertainment business.

For some the dream has not yet been realized. Millions of minorities have been to the mountaintop, but not yet seen justice. Among those who haven’t realized the dream are minorities in gang-related crimes, especially if they didn’t do the crime. Those who haven’t realized the dream are also the people in failing schools in minority communities. The dream hasn’t been realized for those losing their jobs, and being unemployed for a long period of time. The dream hasn’t been realized for those having their homes foreclosed or their cars repossessed. The dream hasn’t been realized for those still suffering from discrimination, discrimination that is happening everywhere, in the workplace, in schools, in shopping centers and other venues. The dream hasn’t been realized for those who had to wait nine or ten hours just to cast their vote in the 2012 election. Those whose dream hasn’t been realized might be asking, “Why hasn’t my dream been realized?”

The dream hasn’t been realized for those people facing homelessness and hunger. Millions of whites and minorities, even in our own communities, are homeless. Just recently, the CBS news show 60 Minutes did a report revealing approximately 25 million children in this country are homeless and face hunger. Some children do not get food each day until they go to school. The dream hasn’t been realized for those who do not have healthcare insurance. Millions of whites and minorities can’t afford decent health insurance. Millions of people get hurt or have diseases and can’t go to the local hospital and get treatment, thereby suffering impending pain. The dream hasn’t been realized for those in the midst of gun violence. Gun violence happens in our own communities such as Newtown, Connecticut, and at Price Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia. Hundreds of minorities, both children and adults, are killed or injured due to senseless crimes related to guns.

For minorities, we have a dream. A dream that we all commonly share is to end racial inequality and to have as many rights as anyone else. To some, that dream has been realized. To others it has not.

It truly will be a wonderful and momentous occasion when everyone can wake up one day saying their dream has been realized. I feel the same way as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. felt in his 1963 speech when he said, “When we let freedom ring from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing, ‘free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.’”