The Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Bobby Cummings
  • 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  In memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, Team Beale held its annual observance breakfast at the Recce Point Club Jan. 18.

The event themed "Remember, Celebrate, Act" featured guest speaker Dr. Joseph L. Slade, pastor of pastoral care at the Center of Praise Ministries International in Sacramento, Calif.

Monologues were also performed at the event. Karen Travis portrayed the character Mona Ray St. Clair in the play "Keeping the Dream Alive." Tech. Sgt. William Coward, 940th Force Support Squadron, force management superintendent, portrayed the character Albert from the play "The Dream Goes On." The characters highlighted issues in their performances that were prevalent for African-Americans in the 1960s.

Slade referred to King as an idealistic legend and one of America's greatest heroes.
"King realized there was much work to be done," Slade said. "Many hearts had to be changed. Human actions and reactions had to be modified. Laws had to be improved, enacted and enforced.

Just as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, I also have a dream. I smile because actually his dream is my dream. I heard him say, 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."

Slade said if people expect the dream to become a reality they must all bind together to fix the things that continue to prevent success.

At the end of the event, Col. Chad Clifton, 9th Maintenance Group commander, gave the closing remarks.

"A thousand years from now I believe that Dr. King's dream will be spoken of, reflected on and used as an example of what is good and righteous," Clifton said. "One could argue that Dr. King's dream, specifically the conceptual idea of his dream, aligns itself with the motto of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing: One team, one fight. We're all in this together."