During the march on Washington of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his legendary "I have a dream speech." His message created for the civil rights movement a defining moment, one that would bind people to their purpose and work on the root cause of discrimination.
One of the most famous sections is when he described just what his "dream" was. He talked about blacks and whites interacting together in friendship and as equals in Southern states thick with racism. His image of children of both races holding hands still sticks in the minds of many today.
Equally memorable was his improvised ending. He declared his desire to see "freedom ring" across all the regions of the United States, especially emphasizing those where freedom and equality could not be found at the time. He closed by laying his optimistic goal that one day everyone of any background would be able to sing out "free at last!"
His speech had great effect. Whenever it was mentioned, the hearer would be (and still is) reminded of the evils of racism and encouraged seek its end. In addition to this immense impact on the actions of individuals, the speech led to definitive political action. The march on Washington and the power of his speech are credited with facilitating the passage of civil rights legislation in congress.
Almost fifty years later, an African American president sits in the oval office not far from were Dr. King delivered the speech. Racism is publicly intolerable and we have none of the institutionalized discrimination that was so prevalent in King's day. At the same time, racism is far from dead in the minds of many, and minorities remain at a significant economic disadvantage. Were he alive today, King would likely be astonished and pleased at the amount of progress towards making his "dream come true," yet would at the same time be adamant that the work is not yet done.