Where is the Dream?

As our nation prepares to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we find ourselves more grateful than ever for his words of challenge and encouragement. Dr. King’s 1963 message delivered from the Lincoln Memorial should stir our hearts and electrify our souls:

“We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”

“We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.”

Our country faces daunting divisions and wounds that will take courage and leadership to address and heal. Dr. King's "dream" has not been realized, and will not be realized until there is a full acknowledgement of the nightmare that has entrenched, infested and paralyzed this country for centuries. We must awaken from the horrific nightmare and accept that there are citizens who are shackled by oppressions of poverty, economic deprivation, poor health care, political discord, voter suppression and intentional rhetoric designed to divide and subjugate. 

Where is the dream? The dream is in the hope that we can look at ourselves through the eyes of humanity and respect. The dream is in the action and belief that as Americans we can rise above the worse of our past. The dream is in the will to be decent human beings. That work lies behind the dream and commands that we fulfill the hope that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had for each of us.

We look to the example of Dr. King to affirm once again that individuals can make a difference; that all people deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and that if our world is to survive and be better, we each must be responsible for that change. Dr. King's legacy is not one of despair; it is a living hope that, working together, we can accomplish much, even in the face of setback and discouragement.

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) takes on that challenge and commits to the uplift of all people and to Dr. King’s legacy of hope and equality for all. On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, we remember and celebrate the man and his enormous impact on our world. CHEA accepts this mantle even more so in 2021 with more vigor and commitment to ensuring that Dr. King's dream becomes a reality!