Tonight, exactly 45 years after Dr. King’s legendary “I Have a Dream” speech, Barack Obama will officially accept the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. Quite heady stuff, given our nation’s bumpy history on the race-relations front. In commemoration, here are a few of the thought-provoking articles and reports I’ve encountered over the past week.
- Does King+45=Obama? Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page connects the historic March on Washington to Barack Obama’s historic campaign and reflects on what it teaches Americans about themselves.
- Dr. King Goes to Washington. NPR’s Steve Innskeep interviews MLK biographer Taylor Branch and civil rights activist Roger Wilkins about that fateful day in which King flipped the script and declared, “I have a dream!”
- From Washington to Denver. In this New York Times report by Michael Powell, veterans of the 1963 March on Washington who are in Denver this week for the Democratic convention reflect on the trials of the past and the hopes of the future.
- Will Obama’s Rise Endanger Civil Rights? New York Times reporter Rachel Swarns surveys the ambivalent mood among some in the African American community regarding Barack Obama’s success. Awhile back, I posted about “Why White Supremacists Like Obama,” but this article examines what might be considered the opposite: Why some black civil rights leaders are dubious about an Obama presidency.
- ObamaKids. Finally, in this essay from New York magazine, scholar and author John McWhorter speculates about how an Obama presidency could transform race relations in America simply through the symbolic signals it sends. He writes, “[I]f Obama becomes president, there will be a shift in the conception of race in this country that neither side in the culture wars can control. It’s all about youth. Think about it. If Obama is elected to two terms, an entire generation of 10-year-olds will come of age having been barely aware of anyone other than a black man in the White House.”
Reconciliation Blog 
Obama is not the Fulfillment of the ‘Dream’, but the result of the making of the dream. The dream will be fulfilled when this country can overcome the shaddow of yesterday. Jeena Six still in my memory, shawn bell still in my heart,,,. Obama is the ultimate door to have a bigger dream until we become free at last
One can say Obama (partially?) personfies King’s dream.
I watched part of Stephanie Tubbs-Jones’ funeral on C-span yesterday. It was inspiring. I wish more conservative Christians could have watched it. It transcended politics, even though the recognizable faces were associated with the Democratic party.
The minister”s sermon was orthodox in doctriine; the gospel was clear. Several of the praise sonss would be recognized by anyone who has regularly attended contemporary worship servicees.
It seemed clear that her political service grew, in large part, from her faith commitment.
I hope Christians can move toward a unity that transcends political parties, and learn to work for the common good no matter which party is in power. I think this is the spirit in which Rick Warren interviewed the candidates.
Obama is walking a trail laid down by many before him, as he knows. Stepanie Tubbs-Jones and Louis Stokes of the Cleveland area are two of those pioneers. Obama joins others as part of the fulfillment of the dream, and he widens the trail for those who follow.
By the way, I just bought Taylor Branch’s _Parting the Waters_, to be able to better understand the history that led to this political race.
MacWhorter makes interesting points. He’s an intelligent and interesting writer. (I’ve seen him on c-span.)