50th Anniversary of "I Have A Dream" Time To Pause

Today is truly a day to pause and to think about what happened 50 years ago and to review how we're doing. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his magnificent "I Have A Dream" speech at the 1963 March On Washington for Jobs and Justice.

The march itself was unprecedented and there was fear on the part of elected and public officials of violence and the potential for discriminatory pushback. There was pressure from those in the Black community for more and quicker action.

It's important to remember that this march was about jobs, economics and amazing injustice. People had been through bombings, jailing, and beatings. But poverty was the call. Jobs were the call. And yes, justice was the call.

Today we have to be careful about over celebrating in my view. We should certainly remember, commemorate and revive the memories and stories. But my hope is that most know that we still have a long way to go. The issues around jobs and the economy continue with many in real pain. Immigration reform and the different view that many citizens have of Hispanics vs other immigrants has to be addressed. Although attitudes about LGBT issues and people are changing, discrimination and homophobia certainly still exist. People with disabilities and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities specifically are still struggling to be recognized as equal partners in our society. The people who support them are not recognized for the importance of their work. Institutional discrimination continues even though the legal framework exists to end it. What we've seen recently relative to the Trayvon Martin story, the Supreme Court decision on Voting Rights and various "stop and frisk" issues all tell us that we have a long way to go.

So let's pause and take it all in for a few brief moments but then remember that the struggle continues. "Let Freedom Ring"!