Slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. would recognize many of the travails the nation is confronting nearly 50 years after his ?I Have A Dream? speech, President Barack Obama said Sunday, declaring that ?our work, Dr. King?s work, is not yet complete.?
His voice at times soaring, Obama spoke at a rousing dedication ceremony for a new memorial to King on the National Mall, drawing parallels between the challenges of King?s time and the nation?s contemporary struggles, including poverty, economic disparity, protests, political battles and popular cynicism.
Continue Reading?At this moment, when our politics appear so sharply polarized, and faith in our institutions so greatly diminished, we need more than ever to take heed of Dr. King?s teachings,? Obama said. ?If he were alive today, I believe he would remind us the unemployed worker can rightly challenge the excesses of Wall Street without demonizing all who work there, that the businessman can enter tough negotiations with his company?s union without vilifying the right to collectively bargain.?
Obama said that King ?would want us to know we can argue fiercely about the proper size and role of our government without questioning each other?s love for this country.? And he pledged to continue King?s journey: ?As tough as times may be, I know we will overcome.?
Under pressure from black leaders to more actively confront black poverty and joblessness, the challenge for the nation?s first black president in his remarks Sunday included paying tribute to King while acknowledging that King?s work, under Obama?s watch, remains unfinished. After the dedication, the president and first lady Michelle Obama were to host a reception for members of the King family, civil rights leader and others in the Blue Room of the White House.
During his speech, Obama honored King?s ?return to the Mall, in this place he will stand for all time among those who fathered this nation and those who defended it.? The president, who sprang from an unlikely background to lead a historic 2008 campaign that often felt like a movement, recognized King?s humble roots as a ?black preacher, of no official rank or title who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideas.?
Obama?s remarks capped a day that was simultaneously joyous, somber, reverential and celebratory, as people of various races and generations crowded the National Mall to share a singular moment in tribute to one of history?s most storied and revered leaders. After Obama?s remarks, the dignitaries on the dais and members of the crowd linked arms and began singing, ?We Shall Overcome,? the anthem of the black civil rights movement.
Far from a routine event, the dedication had the scope and sentiment of a significant occasion, for history and for the president, a student of civil rights who has lingered over King?s teachings and often refers to them.
The crowd was securely in Obama?s corner: The president?s arrival at the memorial ahead of his remarks sparked a chant from the audience of ?four more years.? Access to the Mall was closed before 11 a.m., when the park grounds reached capacity.
Before joining others on the stage, the president, his family and guests gazed privately at the 30-foot King likeness. The formal dedication ceremony was nearby, at the entrance to the memorial.
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