Doctor Martin Luther King Junior's "dream" in 1963 has still not be realized today. That was the message from the keynote speaker during the 38th Annual Memorial Service and Awards Celebration Monday morning at the King Center in Rock Island.
Reverend Earlye Julien, from Living Water Christian Center in Moline, says his dream expressed during the famous march in Washington was that America would live up to the words in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
"Because the citizenship rights contained in these documents upon which this great nation was founded, and the flag's symbolism that represents it, was not true for African American people and other people of color. And sadly the vision still has not been actuallized to its fullest intent."
Julien says justice is a shared responsibility.
"I ask you to consider today your 9-1-1 call to action. Allow Dr. King's great legacy to not only live on as a memory of great things past, but allow it to become a guiding vision for things to come."
The King Center celebration also included some performances and presentations, including the presentation of this year's "I Have a Dream Award" for exceptional community service - to Kai Swanson, member of the county board, volunteer and board member for several organizations, and special assistant to the president of Augustana College.
