We are the Dream: A Continuation of Greatness

Verse of the Day: Luke 18:1 "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Dr. Martin Luther Kings "I Have a Dream" speech, empowered and inspired men, women and children of all ages and races during a time of great turmoil and division. Many years later, as we go back to listen to that dream and take a look at the world around us...ask yourselves....has the dream been realized? I believe in many ways it has....however that does not give us the permission to get comfortable and stagnated in our positions......there's a new generation on the horizon.....a new tribe of dreamers, and it is our responsibility to continue the greatness that was began many years ago. We must strive to encourage, uplift and inspire our youth in their endeavors towards a better tomorrow, but how?

We need more black mentors who are professionals and patrons of the arts. I intend to be one in the arts as I will continue in my journey as a preschool educator. Teaching has been the most challenging but rewarding experience of my life, our students have inspired me and made me come to the realization that now is not the time for me to fold.....there's too much at stake to walk away.....the foundation and future of their educational careers begins here. I'd like to provide after school and summer art sessions via my art business; Jcreations by Jcr8s and be a councilor for the youth of our communities. It is one of the many reasons I chose to continue my own education last year. My hope for this is that it will encourage more youth to consider the arts as professional careers and bring forth a fresh view of the creative fields in the black community.

There needs to be a firm re-evaluation and reset of how we teach black history to our youth. Our beginning was NOT on a plantation picking cotton in America and runs deeper than Jim Crow and Segregation here in the states. We must dig deeper to the roots of our ancestry and provide lessons that give ALL youth a fresh perspective on the way they view themselves in the world. Teaching to antagonize the white youth of this country while victimizing our black youth is an embarrassment and dishonor to Dr. King and his dream, as the elders we need to retain more wisdom in the manner we conduct ourselves. This world is more than black and white. and WE are more than our skin colors. Our children need to know that as it is imperative to their own personal journeys. We have a choice, to continue the tired narrative that has been spoon fed to us since birth or break the cycle and begin a new story..one of prosperity, one of truth and hope, that although we acknowledge the wounds of the past, we are a continuation of history for as long as we choose to move forward, we can heal.

We need to understand and accept that the fight for equity and equality for black people in America involved EVERYONE and the exclusion of those who stood beside us needs to end.

Take a look around you....WE the people are the dream....had many years ago by a man who believed in his vision...now we must keep the torch lit, to pass down to those after us, so that they too can grow up to see their own dreams come to pass.

Happy Black History Month to one and all!