Martin Luther King Jr. Day: The Stone of Hope
The day was August 28th, 1963 (video here).
It was a warm 80 degree Wednesday in Washington, DC. During what has been called the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of the world, an illustrious cadre of speakers with people like Mrs. Medgar Evers, Diane Nash Bevels, Rosa Parks, John Lewis, Gloria Richardson, John Lewis, Rabbi Uri Miller and Mathew Ahmann, and singing by the likes of Mahalia Jackson. In addition to these speakers, there was a 16th speaker by the name of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organization established in 1957 dedicated to redeeming the soul of America through non violent resistance.
After a brief greeting and opening remarks Dr. King began with an acknowledgement of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States who signed a document called the Emancipation Proclamation. The intent was to free the enslaved African from the atrocities of American chattel slavery. Dr. King made it clear that though that may have conceptually transformative, but in practice there was much to be desired:
“This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later...
...the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.”
After breaking down the paradox of existing in the Land of Freedom and not experiencing the fruit of freedom, he says near the lower third of the speech "let us hew out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."
Hew, means to
chop or cut (something, especially wood or coal) with an axe, pick, or other tool.
"we have finished hauling and hewing timber"
Dr. King was saying to carve, to chop, and to cut a piece of hope out of the immense mountain of painful despair. Ironically he shared these words not long after he himself was imprisoned for walking the path of justice. According to all the evidence, there was much to despair about.
Inequity in housing, access to voting, the justice system, education, economics, employment, medical care, there wasn't one area that wasn't impacted and polluted by racism in general, anti black racism in particular.
But still he says, carve out a stone of hope.
The challenge of carving out hope is the effort it takes. Carving isn't easy. It takes time, it takes patience, it takes endurance, and most importantly it takes vision and faith.
Because even after you carve out your hope stone, you have a gigantic mountain staring you right in the face.
It is at that moment the carver must exercise faith to have a hopeful vision to overcome the mountain. But size never determines ultimate success, and looks are often deceiving.
Think about this:
The greatest shooter in NBA history still looks like he goes to high school homeroom at the end of his school day.
one of the greatest minds of all time was confined to a wheelchair
One of the greatest living poets in the United States started out as a little girl with a speech impediment.
One of the most memorable bible stories centers on glowering giant, and a hopeful boy.
Using the book that Dr. King quoted from often in his life and leadership, Jesus Himself spoke of having faith as a mustard seed and the cultivation of faith to see mountains move. A mustard seed is about 1/10th of an inch.
But after planting, cultivation, patience, and consistent care the amazing happens. A mustard seed can grow up to 30 feet tall. To break it down further, 30 feet is 360 inches, or a multiplication of the original size of a mustard 3600 times!
One of the many things I notice every time I watch the video what has become known as the "I Have a Dream Speech", is the crowd.
There were people of every hue of the color wheel and from every place. Over 200,000 people traveled there on train, planes, truck, car, bicycle, motorcycle, and by foot. People were from the mountains, the cities, urban areas, suburban areas, and the country.
It is important to understand that the dream of racial harmony/equality requires all of us. Though the work demands patience, endurance, and faith, if we stick to it we can hew out a stone of hope.
Let’s be inspired by this historical moment and allow it to catalyze us into action today. The dream has dawned, but it is far from complete.
Though we have made progress, there is still a long walk to freedom and justice that we are still traveling.