By Kismet Loftin-Bell
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true of it’s creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
By the age of 4 years old, I had memorized large excerpts and was reciting the famous, I Have a Dream speech before a middle school assembly, churches, and the audiences of my nursery school events. I was often known as that little girl that did the King speech. Today, at 36 years old, I find myself reciting the parts that I remember only when I hear it playing or being recited by someone else, or when my son begins a sentence with, Last night, I had a dream, then pauses to think. (chuckling) It’s just enough time to allow me to get in a line or two.
Little did I know that while I was taking the stage, this was setting the stage for where I am today. Let me explain, I have the legacy and privilege of coming from a long line of educators. My paternal great grandmother helped to integrate the schools in Alabama as a teacher. Both of my grandmothers were educators. My paternal grandmother retired as a principal and a college professor. My maternal grandmother retired as a librarian. (It was my maternal grandmother who pushed me to learn the speech and found several platforms for me to share.) My dad has taught and my mother currently teaches 1st grade. And my two sisters and I continue this legacy today–Lauren, has taught on the college level and in corporate settings; Azariah, currently teaches high school math, and, I currently teach Political Science at two local community colleges.
Had Dr. King not questioned a line in his original speech and taken a queue from Mahalia Jackson, his vision of little black boys and black girls [joining] hands with little white boys and white girls may not have become a reality for me today. You see, I am the great, great, great granddaughter of former slaves, who now teaches the great, great, great, great grandchildren of former slave owners about American history and politics. Today, I get to share a comprehensive narrative of the history of the United States, and probably more importantly, I can share the history of blacks and other people of color and their impact on this country. Having the opportunity to learn about and teach the struggles and victories of this young country to a new generation, who will become our leaders, gives me HOPE that the vision that Dr. King saw on the mountaintop will come, fully, into fruition.