It is important to realize that anybody of any background is capable of becoming a leader, and that, oftentimes, a leader may come from an unexpected corner. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a prime example of this idea. During a time of racial inequality, he became such a leader. August 28th, 1963 was when Dr. King stood among us to deliver what was to become one of the most motivational and important speeches of our Century.
Although this event transpired 32 years before my birth, Martin Luther King Junior's "I Have a Dream" speech especially stands out to me. As an individual of both Caucasian, as well as African-American decent, my parents likely would have never met, or married if it were not for this speech, so, therefore, I probably owe my life to this man. For that reason, his speech obviously holds great significance to me; however, as a person who is extremely passionate about the concept of racial inequality, I have always been incredibly grateful for all of the deeds that have been done by those leaders who have paved the way to the freedom we have today to go to school with such a diverse group of people, and for Americans to be significantly more accepting of those who are different than themselves. To be so accepting is entirely imperative when it comes to leadership, as well as simply coexisting with those around you.
Certain qualities have been displayed time and time again by every generation of leaders, such as patience, determination, and confidence or endless positivity. These qualities are some of the most vital elements to attribute to a leader, such as Martin Luther King Jr. His "I Have a Dream" speech seemed like a false hope at the time for most; however, Dr. King identified this, and still, stepped forward with patience, determination, and confidence. Throughout all of his hardships, such as the attacks he suffered, simply for standing up for what he believed in, as well as the danger his family was under, he powered through successfully, leaving a legacy behind, and a model to follow, guiding others to the characteristics of a successful leader. We indicated the message being stated by Dr. King, and finally realized the negative effects of racial inequality enough to actually make an effort to change. Throughout my amateur observations, it is not often that people make a serious effort to change something that we are against. Take New Year's resolutions for example; each year, we set these goals for ourselves to accomplish throughout the new year, and no matter how menial the tasks, seldom are they actually completed. We often procrastinate, then eventually give up with most of our goals towards things that we wish to change, but not this time. The words of Dr. King have stayed with us, and truly taken a major positive effect on our lives, and this is what separates a major goal set by a true leader from a New Year's resolution.
Think about all of the people you would have probably never known personally if it were not for racial equality in schools, and in the general public. The actions of those before us towards racial equality have paved the way for films, such as "Freedom Writers", which attempt to further change the attitudes of those stuck in their own world of one singled out race.It is certainly difficult to live a truly happy life if you express hate towards those around you, and it only makes things worse for those around us when one expresses hate towards those of a different race, simply because of the color of their skin.
The actions of one man are undoubtedly one of the most significant contributors to these possibilities. Even though we have come so far, racism will unfortunately always exist, and we can never take back the struggles of our ancestors, but change is all it was that we desired and still desire today. There is no telling how far we will come as humans, but whatever advances we make are ultimately insignificant, so our best bet is to learn to happily coexist with one another. Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's "I Have a Dream" speech shaped the foundation for all of these concepts, and for the start of a serious movement towards inequality, and his doing so showed that he cares about all of us, and wished to benefit all of us, no matter the race; this is an example that he set, and that we are expected to follow.
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