What happens to a dream deferred?

By Ifeanyi Onwumah

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left us with a legacy that will last a million lifetimes. One of the most vivacious aspects of his legacy is his famous dream or vision for America. In this dream, everyone lives harmoniously together in equality.

Saint Xavier University honored Dr. King’s legacy and dreams on Jan. 20 when it hosted the program, “What Happens to a dream Deferred?”

The event featured guest speaker Darrell B. Jackson, a Saint Xavier alumni and President of Personal Financial Services. I attended this event and it definitely exceeded the expectations that I had going in. It wasn’t a lecture on Dr. King’s life and legacy or how valiant a man he was, a song which we’ve heard numerous times.

Rather, it was a look at the world today and how it matches up with Dr. King’s visions. The speaker, Mr. Jackson, emphasized how far along we’ve come and that we’ve made amazing progress in terms of social and interracial relations since the days of Dr. King. This caused me to be gracious to be in an environment such as that of Saint Xavier – One where diversity is highly promoted and student initiated clubs such as Barrier Breakers exist to promote social relations that go beyond race and ethnicity.

Also featured in the event was student Ericka Soto, who spoke of her dreams and how difficult it can be to follow your dreams in the face of adversity and the importance of pressing on, despite any obstacles. We were then serenaded with a beautiful song by the Ambassadors for Christ (AFC) Choir. This proved to be a good reflective piece to help us with the things we just learned.

The event’s title was selected in the honor of the Langston Hughes poem “A Dream Deferred?” It was especially interesting because it did not show that Dr. King’s dreams have been deferred but that there is a possibility of this happening if we lose sight of the important things in life and cease moving forward in the path of equalities and freedom. The poem was recited at the end of the show and was a nice afterthought to the inspirational program that I witnessed.

Ifeanyi Onwumah is a sophomore philosophy major from South Holland. He participates in several campus clubs. Consideration for the student bloggers is provided by Saint Xavier University.