Dear Friends,
my daughter Justina has joined "Kids for King"
to help raise money to build the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King National Memorial. She is collecting
donations and writing an essay on Dr. King and her vision of a better America. With her entry and donations she has a chance to be one of 12 children that will be invited to Washington D.C. for the groundbreaking ceremony of the memorial. For those of you that know her personally, you know how impacting that will be :).
We have deep ties to Dr. King that go past "living the dream". Justina's great -grandmother, Hattie Loftin, was an integral part of the Bus Boycott,
and is often a spokesperson for the "working class that walked" in articles in Newsweek, Time Magazine, etc. My
husband's family lived down the street from the King's in Montgomery, AL.
But most of all, we, as a family, are living what Dr. King portrayed in this small part of his famous speech (which is one of my favorite parts):
"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 one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four 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.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."
Being a biracial family in the U.S. is not easy to this day. We still have to prove ourselves in many ways. But, as Justina said today: "If it was not for Dr. King, I would probably not be here today!". She is proud of her roots, and has already learned most of Dr. King's speech by heart in honor of her quest to be part of building this memorial.
This man was a visionary, and we are living his vision.
To learn more about the memorial, and this project, please visit http://www.buildthedream.org.
If you would like to support Justina and make a onation, you can PayPal to heike@goddessinthegroove.com (please be sure to put "Build the dream"
in the subject). All payments must be received by May 25th so we can make our deadline. Please
pass this on to anyone who you feel may be interested.
Thank you, and thank you for helping us keep the dream alive.
Warmest Greetings,
Heike & Justina Sharp