The Manic Monday word for today is Date. Today's date is significant because it is Martin Luther King Day Bill. The official holiday, on the third Monday of January, began in 1986. It was the first new American holiday since 1948, when Memorial Day was created as a "prayer for peace" day. Also it was only the second national holiday in the twentieth century (the other was Veterans Day, created as Armistice Day in 1926 to honor those who died in World War I). King is the only American besides George Washington to have a national holiday designated for his birthday (those of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee and others are celebrated in some states but not nationwide).
Internationally, King is one of the few social leaders of any country to be honored with a holiday (Mahatma Gandhi's birthday is observed in India).
In honor of this date ... Martin Luther King Day ... we have the text of his speech I have a Dream here.
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For those who don't know...MLK was speaking from a prepared speech. At one point, Mahailah Jackson (his AMEN corner), realized that the speech was not moving the people as they had hoped. So she captured his attention and said: 'Martin...tell them about the DREAM, tell them about the DREAM.'
The DREAM had been a sermon that he had previously delivered to his congregation. So he deviated from the prepared speech and began what would be remembered as his infamous "I HAVE A DREAM" speech.
And what a speech it was!
I took the opportunity this morning to seat my grandkids in the family room and have them listen to the speech at 9:00 am. I know they didn't quite get it, but I know they will have memories of sitting with Grandma and tolerating those 18 minutes of being still and listening to what Grandma thought was something that was relevant to their lives as it has been to her's.
God Bless You and may God Bless the United States of America!
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