As promised, here is my speech from the Martin Luther King Luncheon. Enjoy!Thank you. Chancellor Person, members of the faculty, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: I’d like to thank you all for coming. I’d also like to thank the African American Choral Ensemble for being here today. You have touched my heart, lifted my spirit, and to be quite honest, you are a tough act to follow. It is indeed an honor for me to be addressing you this afternoon.
Like most college students, I have been doing a lot of reading this week. In fact, I finally picked up a book that I have been neglecting for quite some time.
In this book, the author told a story of the time when he was sitting in a Harlem Department store. As he was signing copies of his most recent book, an estranged woman ran up to him and stabbed him with a letter opener. After they rushed him to the hospital, he laid in bed for hours while final preparations were being made to remove the letter opener. It was not until days later, when he learned that the tip had been touching his aorta and had he sneezed he would not have made it. As I stand here today, I am so grateful that that he did not sneeze.
Today, we gather to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Noble Peace Prize winner, visionary preacher, servant-leader.
A man who was more than just an advocate of civil rights but an advocate of the human spirit.
A man who could bring an audience to tears and fill their hearts with joy all at the same time.
A man who served others with a message of faith and community.For many years, IU Kokomo has put on this luncheon and been very successful with it; but as my good friend, Catherine Barnes once told me, “Martin Luther King wouldn’t just want us to sit, eat, and talk about how great he was.” He would want us to spread his message of faith. It’s a faith in the future.
A faith in believing that there are brighter days ahead even when things seem to be at there darkest. As Dr. King said “only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
And a faith that remembers what the scripture says, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
So, for the next five years, IU Kokomo will turn our words into actions with “A Day of Service” in an effort to inspire others to pursue their individual dreams. Our dreams not only provide us with a direction in life but also inspire us to do great things.
I could say to all of you that I have never questioned my willingness to follow my dream, but I would be lying to you if I did. Ever since I entered college, it was my dream to one day live and work in Washington DC. To be honest, I never thought it was possible and it took a lot of very smart people to change my mind, many of whom are seated in this very room. As I was preparing for this address, I started thinking of them.
One person said to me, “You talk a big game but what are you really doing about it?”
A close friend of mine said to me, “You have all of these dreams but what have you ever done about them?”
And this one, which is probably my favorite, came from my mother, “You talk way too much to do so little.” I love you mother. Thank you!
It was because of these people, and my mother’s sarcasm, that I was able to follow my dream of working in our nation’s Capital by serving as a Congressional Intern and it was the best summer of my life. From this experience, I have learned that no dream is unattainable.
As many of you remember, Martin Luther King shared his dream with our nation during the summer of 1963. It was not a dream just for him but for our entire country. It was a dream of hope. The hope of cashing a check of freedom and individual security while, at the same time, refusing to believe that the bank of justice was bankrupt. Since then, we have cashed that check and invested it into the stock of racial equality and the bond of justice for all. However, our investment must continue to expand.
And we have every reason to be optimistic that it will. Working together, we can build a community that Martin Luther King envisioned.
We can build a community that inspires young people to vote and serve in public life.
We can build a community that is no longer plagued by hate crimes and discrimination against people of different races, beliefs, or ethnic backgrounds.
We can build a community where the biggest drug on the streets is a book and the biggest addiction is a child’s thirst for knowledge.
In this ever-changing world, its true that we will face many challenges, but with every challenge, there is an opportunity. We have before us the opportunity to make a difference, improve our nation, and as Dr. King once said “. . . get to the Promised Land!”
In his last sermon, Martin Luther King said, “I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!”
Just as he said in his last sermon, we will get to the Promised Land. But we will only get there by having the faith in each other to serve our community.
So as I close today, let us continue to serve our nation and keep the faith.
Let us continue to build a community that Martin Luther King would be proud of
Let us continue our journey to the Promised Land
Thank you very much.
