On August 28, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. powerfully delivered one of the most eloquent speeches in U.S. history, attracting an audience of over 250,000 protestors who swarmed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. His message was clear: “I have a dream.”

Dr. King’s dream was an agglomeration of several different aspirations that he felt should be implemented within not only the U.S. government, but on a global scale, as well.

The end to which he designed his oration was civil equality within the U.S., but Dr. King was also an advocate of the, “direct and immediate abolition of poverty,” as well as the achievement of world peace.

This dream has definitely come a long way in the past 45 years, taking great strides in respect to certain areas. Today, the people of the U.S. enjoy the benefits of freedoms derived from the sacrifices of Dr. King and his supporters – benefits that include intercultural schooling and equal opportunity regardless of race, gender and creed.

It all started, in 1955, when an African American woman in Alabama refused to comply with an unjust law and “move to the back of the bus.” Now here we are in 2008, possibly witnessing the election of the U.S.’s first African American president.

Nevertheless, one wonders whether enough people take advantage of the opportunities afforded to us by Dr. King and his colleagues. It would seem, in fact, that too few people today are taking advantage of those liberties that were once reserved for “whites only.”

We have run a good race, but now is not the time to ease up; we cannot settle. The torch has already been lit for us, and now is the time for this generation to reach inside, and sprint towards the finish line.

Okay, but what exactly does that mean? It means that the people of this country need to step up to the plate and be accountable for carrying on the legacy that Dr. King established.

One person cannot end discrimination, poverty or war, but many people working together just might be able to.

We need to embrace one another rather than judge one another. We need to reach out to the less fortunate instead of being greedy. We need to denounce unjust wars instead of sitting back and watching atrocities unfold.

We need to do what is right, and it shouldn’t be an option, but rather a priority. Too many people simply hope for these kinds of things to happen, but the reality is that they won’t be accomplished on their own.

It is time to break down the walls that have barricaded people from joining one another, because the bottom line is that when we work together everybody wins.

In the memory of a wonderful man who stood for something greater than himself, I strongly encourage you to do the same. Dr. King said it best himself, “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” What will you stand for?