Where Do We Go From Here?
Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Let us realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: “Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again.” Let us go out realizing that the Bible is right: “Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” This is our hope for the future, and with this faith we will be able to sing in some not too distant tomorrow, with a cosmic past tense, “We have overcome! We have overcome! Deep in my heart, I did believe we would overcome.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go From Here?
I think I’ll take that time tomorrow to remember where we have been as a nation and to remind myself where we are now. We as a people and a nation have come a long way in overcoming our past, but the journey is not yet complete.
These three speeches — “Where Do We Go From Here?,” “I Have A Dream” and “Iíve Been to the Mountaintop” — by Dr. King are all well worth the time to read. Each is available here: Selected Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.
