We are far along the path toward the future world Martin Luther King envisioned thirty-four years ago in the speech I quoted part of above. But it would be a mistake to think that his dream is wholly realized today. While society as a whole has done much to eradicate the institutionalized discrimination that plagued many in the past, there are still those willing to let their personal biases and prejudices effect the way they treat their fellow citizens. Even worse, individuals and organizations exist today who would, if given the opportunity, deny any citizen not meeting their mean, narrow, arbitrary standards the right to equal consideration and treatment. Their agenda, motivated by their distorted opinions about race, gender, religion or ethnicity, is to fractionalize our society by ostracizing or subjugating the targets of their hate and intolerance. And they are actively engaged in recruiting others to their cause.

As conscientious citizens, we must speak out against this kind of hateful, divisive behavior, be it overt or subtle. The perpetrators need to understand that we as a society disagree with and will oppose those who would place barriers between us. And we should be willing to disassociate ourselves from those who insist on continuing to act divisively despite our attempts to dissuade them. Finally, we should constantly evaluate our own behavior, and ensure we are treating everyone fairly ourselves!