50 years since Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech, what has changed?

Today marks the 50 year anniversary since Martin Luther's King's "I have a Dream" speech and as I took time to read the speech, and listen to his speech, I pondered the question what has changed since then? And most importantly, what does the speech mean for everyone?

There has been a lot of changes that has happened throughout the years with voting, civil rights, and the freedoms that he spoke so vividly in his speech, but I personally feel that his speech where he visualized his dream so eloquently, so passionately, has changed the course of the nation, and started our journey.  His dream has been realized, and through events that have been so dramatic that forced change to happen in such extreme way, has also hurt us as a society.  It has divided us to the point that we all look over our shoulders, quick to point out and stand for the injustices that happen daily, re-actively, without being proactive and consciously aware of our efforts.

Now I can list a number of injustices that have received national attention and those that have been swept under the rug, but that is not the main point that I want to bring to conscious.  I want to explain how Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech means to me and what it represents.

So, I decided that it might be interesting to look at the actual text of Dr. King's speech and really analyze the degree to which his vision has been achieved. He was such a dynamic speaker; I find it difficult not to get pulled into emotion of his words no matter how many times I watch the speech. I feel it is the same for many people of all races and ethnic backgrounds when they listen to it as well. As I began to dissect each section and compare it to the relationships that we share in the United States, I feel that we have a long way to go as human beings, not in one race but in all races as we strive to raise our relational consciousness as a people.

And I came to the conclusion from everything that he talked so vividly was freedom for all.  Freedom in the sense of relationships not bounded by labels of race, culture, and the many labels that divide us as humans and poisons our relationships to the point it prevents us from "sitting down together" at that "table of brotherhood" that Martin Luther King so passionately described.

Since Martin Luther King's speech 50 years ago a lot of things have changed, and we should celebrate the progress that we have made, but we still have a way to go to where we will face the injustice in the world based on the situation, and not on the labels we use to project our own version of "justice" in the world.

And that is for us to come together for understanding and not discounting anyone and their beliefs. Diversity eliminates a lot of labels, fears, and profiling that doesn't allow the freedoms we all strive for. And there has been a number of academic studies which indicate that diversity results in improved outcome in everything from jury deliberations and better understanding, communication, and relational awareness among college students.

Better communication and understanding starts the process of raising levels of consciousness that bring a level of empathy and compassion for others.  That is the foundation of good relationships, along with broader educational opportunities for learning are the measure that we can use as the bases of change as a collective we raise the conscious level of how we approach our relationships.

Despite the challenges, the benefits from our continued pursuit of Dr King's vision realized through his speech far outweigh the costs if we would be would be willing to be open and be acceptable to change.  I am a testament to this as I internalize his speech not only by reading it, but in my actions by using as a base in the way I approach my relationships in business and life.

What has changed?  ALOT.  And more growth is ahead as we make cautious steps in a slow progress.  And slow progress is progress we all stretch ourselves through this growth process.