The American Dream today represents the national core belief of economic prosperity and mobility through hard work and self-motivation. Martin Luther King Jr., however, redefines this dream with the words of America’s Founding Fathers: “All men are created equal” and “they are endowed by God, Creator, with certain inalienable Rights.” As a civil rights leader, King strives for a dream that prioritizes equality as a requirement for any economic progression. While King sought this new American Dream, there was no question that a huge effort must be put forth to solve issues of inequality. In 1964, King already lamented the “schizophrenic” personality of America, calling attention to contradictions of society when we have proudly professed the
…show more content…
King himself declares that “if we are going to make the American dream a reality, we are challenged to work in an action program to get rid of the last vestiges of segregation and discrimination” (King 4). As seen with King’s words, America bears the duty of eliminating the disparity between races, whether that be economically or socially. The issue of black social inferiority is evident through the unproportionally increase in violence towards African Americans by the police. As found in a study by The Guardian, “despite making up only 2% of the total US population, African American males between the ages of 15 and 34 comprised more than 15% of all deaths logged in 2015 [...] Their rate of police-involved deaths was five times higher than for white men of the same age” (SOURCE). The disproportionately large death toll for African American men reflects society’s more hostile perception of the African American race. When a certain group of people face increased threats to their right to live, equality cannot be fully realized. So while King wanted this negative stigma to be removed, the killings make it evident that discriminatory thoughts still
King himself declares that “if we are going to make the American dream a reality, we are challenged to work in an action program to get rid of the last vestiges of segregation and discrimination” (King 4). As seen with King’s words, America bears the duty of eliminating the disparity between races, whether that be economically or socially. The issue of black social inferiority is evident through the unproportionally increase in violence towards African Americans by the police. As found in a study by The Guardian, “despite making up only 2% of the total US population, African American males between the ages of 15 and 34 comprised more than 15% of all deaths logged in 2015 [...] Their rate of police-involved deaths was five times higher than for white men of the same age” (SOURCE). The disproportionately large death toll for African American men reflects society’s more hostile perception of the African American race. When a certain group of people face increased threats to their right to live, equality cannot be fully realized. So while King wanted this negative stigma to be removed, the killings make it evident that discriminatory thoughts still