A Demonstration of Nonviolence Calls for Honoring Human Rights

Dr. Martin Luther King addressing the peaceful crowd in D.C. The Stream. Retrieved March 30, 2011.

By: Viviana Garcia

On August 28, 1963, the quest for human rights in this country reached a climax as the issue became the very crux of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech. During a demonstration of thousands rallying for freedom in Washington D.C., the “moral leader of our country,” reminded the crowd that 100 years after the Constitution and Declaration of Independence were signed, African Americans are still cast out from society and lack the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair,” said King, “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…I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

This movement of nonviolence beckons for those opposed to listen closely to what is innately human and what simply cannot be taken away by a government refusing to acknowledge these truths.

“Let freedom ring,” shouted Dr. King, “let freedom ring!”