I Have a Dream – 5:00 Fridays

So I realize that today is Friday. But it turns out that something pretty monumental happened 47 years ago tomorrow. Gosh, does that sentence even make sense?

Any idea what happened August 28, 1963? Let’s see, it was 47 years ago. I said that, right? That means it wasn’t my birthday. And it wasn’t when women were allowed to enter West Point. Let’s see, it’s not when One Life to Live first aired on TV. I don’t know squat about sports so I don’t know if some pitcher or jockey was inducted into the hall of fame on that date. Hmmmm…August 28, 1963.

What was happening in 1963?

• George Wallace was elected Governor of Alabama. You know the one, “Mr. Segregation Now, Segregation Tomorrow and Segregation Forever?’

• Patsy Kline was killed in a plane crash.

• John, Paul, George, and Ringo released Please Please Me

• Tab cola debuted…the one for beautiful people.

• President John F. Kennedy proclaimed “Ich bin ein Berliner.” By the way, the translation of that is “I am a jelly doughnut.”

• Zip codes were introduced in the U.S.

• The smiley face was created.

• Seal and Charles Barkley were born. One day apart.

• Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his role as Atticus Finch.

• John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

• The Warren Commission was formed.

• Jack Ruby shoots Lee Harvey Oswald dead.

It turns out that 1963 was a rich year, and one that left a jagged scar along the nation’s spine. Our country was in the midst of volatile change and heated debate. One man lead the revolution. A man who has a street named in his honor in almost every city in America.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. He spoke of racial equality and peace and freedom. That speech, like the man who delivered it, transformed a nation.

I can’t help but wonder what light he would shed on the shenanigans of the school board in my town. While they set about to redraw school assignment zones (and return political favors), they are in effect resegregating our schools. Whether by intent or redesign or otherwise, the byproduct of the school board’s actions will indeed set us back decades. I bet Martin Luther King would have a thing or two or ten to say about that.

Now it might seem odd, perhaps even sacriligeous, to honor Martin Luther King with a 5:00 Fridays tribute. But to that I say, hey, we can celebrate the man and the message however we see fit. The important thing here is that we simply extol his virtues and the lessons we learned from him.

I’ll be doing just that with the American Dream.

splash of Kahlua
splash of amaretto
splash of Frangelico
splash of dark creme de cacao
cold coffee

Pour all ingredients into a tall glass filled with ice. Top with cold or room temperature coffee. No garnish necessary.

Drink in the history of this day. And salute the man who tried to suture our nation’s wounds.