1960s Diary Entries

Diary Entry 1, Protester at the Lincoln Memorial who hears King give his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Today I witnessed one of the greatest things I have ever seen in my life. I had the opportunity to watch a man, a great man, speak to a nation about the hardships of the African American community. He from his heart to us, not as individuals, but as an entity, a nation. During the time he was speaking, everyone that was there listening felt connected. People from every different race were, for a few minutes, able to put all differences aside and come together as one, as human beings. No longer separated by race, religion, skin color, or sex.

For a long time now the African American community has been angry, tired, and frustrated due to our mistreatment from a nation that claims to be “free”. The man that spoke tonight, Mr. King, turned everything we were feeling, all the hatred and sadness, into something positive, something we could all look forward to. He spoke to us in a way that no man had ever done before. Mr. King told us not to be angry, and return racial actions with further violence, but instead to resist and move forward gently. Many times we as African Americans are judged, looked down upon and mistreated all without anyone every stopping and taking the time to really know who we are, what we stand for, and what we believe in. I believe deep down many other races of Americans are just like we are and we could all bond together over those common grounds.

The message that Mr. King portrayed tonight that struck me the hardest were the words, “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. I have a dream today!” These words are something that will move forward with me from this time on as I, along with many other African Americans, all share the same dream as Mr. King. I believe this dream is one that we can all come together and...