The Impossible Dream

The congressman called for a commitment to change. Drawing on memories of his close association with King, he noted that to many in his time, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a dreamer of impossible dreams. Nevertheless, King turned several "impossible dreams" into living realities. The fact that King managed to have public facilities desegregated, in the face of strong opposition, serves as a good example. From this the congressman found encouragement that, although injustice continues to plague society, if we pledge ourselves to the kind of ideals that inspired King, we will find it possible to create a more equitable order. In response to the lecture, Dr. Mary Frances Berry, the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought, recalled that, beyond racism, King opposed the Vietnam war. She urged the audience to work toward the kind of society of which he dreamed.