Remembering the dream

  • Published
  • By Airman Christopher R. Morales
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Ignorance is a blindfold on the mind, but keeping an open mind allows love to overflow. In the past, prejudices, like segregation, cut society to the point of bloodshed and discrimination led to martyrs and more hateful feelings.

Martin Luther King Jr. understood that and shared it with the world.

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and U.S. Army Alaska hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance on JBER-Richardson in the Frontier Theater Jan. 15.

Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights leader, humanitarian and pastor during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, is well-known for his campaigns against segregation and for interracial cooperation.

Jan. 19 is a day of remembrance - a day on, not a day off - and has been since 1983, when President Ronald Reagan signed a federal law to commemorate King's efforts.

To honor King's memory, the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church choir performed for the Soldiers, Airmen and civilians who attended. The audience also saw a video presentation in remembrance of his legacy, followed by a speech by Rev. Alonzo Patterson Jr. He served as a minister for more than 60 years and founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation in Alaska.

Life lives off love, and people need to remember, to know, Patterson said. King had a dream, and to make that dream live on, it needs to be pushed to the generations to come, he added.

Patterson was a Soldier for 11 years, and then devoted his life to God.

"[Martin Luther King Jr.] didn't wake up one morning and say he is going to change the world," Patterson said.

King knew there was something missing in the United States and that was love, Patterson said. He realized that to change the world, you must first change yourself.

"It is important to push the dream in this generation because if we don't, the dream will die," Patterson said.

King's dream was for the next generations to be recognized for their character and not the color of their skin. He hoped to break the chains of segregation and promote the equality of all men.

This dream is at risk if nothing is done, and nothing is holding us back but ourselves, Patterson said. Stop waiting for miracles; believe in yourself to make society better.

Each of us can do our part, by loving and respecting others, Patterson said.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?" King famously asked.

Together we can achieve Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equality and love by teaching and sharing these ideals to the generations to come.