Uphill idealist

I can't tell you how many times I've thought about the following quote by Dr. M.L. King... "I have a dream that my four little children will oneday live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skinbut by the content of their character." When I was in sixth grade I was chosen to recite this well-known quote in for a musical that we were performing at my school called, "Kids for America". While I was excited about the singing and dancing and having a chance to have a speaking part in the play, this quote rattle around my young mind in a way that no other words had before. I grew up in a tiny town in western Pennsylvania and the community was lily white. There was no racial diversity to see or speak of. The only significant differences I recognized were religious ones, and this only happened because the kids who were Catholic were dismissed early on Fridays so they could attend  Catechism Class. From my perspective I could not un...

Norman Rockwell Humanity found at Pinterest When I was in sixth grade, I had the honor of being chosen for a lead part in our Spring musical called, "Kid's for America". As you can imagine, there was quite a patriotic bend to the production. Beyond the excess of red, white and blue and various medleys  of national anthems there was a line (that somehow ended up in my speaking part) that made a huge impression on me. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, by the content of their character." MLK JR. Before memorizing this quote, I had very little exposure as to how a person's appearance would impact how other people would treat said person. I recall  my shock when this concept of racism became a clearer reality. Having the chance to speak MLK's words was a great honor for me. I passionately recited MLK's dream at each and every performance with ...