And the mountain continues to stand

Just as God showed Moses the Promised Land so long ago and just as Dr. King said that he, too, had been to the mountaintop and seen his Promised Land, so do others who are willing to follow for their part of a dream. It is not an easy task nor is there a guarantee of success. It's all in having a dream, trusting in that dream, and wanting to make that dream a reality no matter what the dream cost.

The mountain waits for someone willing to make the climb.

I've been to the mountaintop.

Dr. King came into Memphis on April 3, 1968 to work with the Sanitation Strike and the preachers of Memphis. That night he addressed the small crowd that came out to hear him, because of a heavy rain. He riveted the room with his "I've Been to the Mountaintop Speech", "Well, I don't know what will happen now...but it doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop...I've looked over and I've seen the Promised Land."

Perhaps he had a premonition that something bad was about to happen or perhaps, he wanted to tell them that they were on their way and could not be stopped. But, whatever his reason was for using that line, a shot rang out at 6:01 on April 4, 1968 at he stood the next evening on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

The man who preached non-violence had been killed by a sniper's bullet. But that bullet would not still the voice of Dr. King!

March on Washington August, 1963

Dr. King and those who worked and struggled in the movement with him planned a major March on Washington to be scheduled on August 28, 1963. Entertainers and speakers

joined him as well as a crowd of people estimated between
200,000 and 300,000.

When Dr. King, with the stirring rhetoric of a Baptist preacher, took the platform on Washington Monument, he mesmerized the crowd with his 17 minute speech which was destined to be remembered for years and years. It became famous as the "I Have a Dream Speech". One of its most famous lines was: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character".

There was no stopping the movement or the rhetoric of this man. This speech and the March was widely credited with helping pass the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the National Voting Rights Act in 1965. President Kennedy and President Johnson both realized that things could not go on as usual. There was a voice in the land which would not be stilled!

Martin Luther King 1929-1968

Dr. Martin Luther King was a Baptist minister, an activist, a prominent leader in the civil rights movement and a leader of people. He believed in equal rights for all people and was willing to face any hardship in order to move the movement along.

He was interested in finding out more about the methods of Mahatma Gandhi and non-violence and Dr. King went to India in 1959 and visited the birthplace of the leader who had made his mark and changed the course of India. Dr. King was profoundly affected by the visit and it deepened his understanding of non-violent resistance. He came back to the United States and preached the doctrine to his followers and to anyone who would listen. That visit to India and his study of Gandhi changed his way of doing things from that point on.

He keeps on going.

The prisoner was imprisoned for many years in terrible conditions.

He was allowed one visitor and one letter every six months and often the letter was so censored that nothing was legible except the black marks. But, the people did not forget. They kept chanting, "Free Mandela". Finally someone listened and responded. And in a free election, he was elected President.

After serving one term as President, Mandela stepped down so that others might follow. But for this man, born in 1918, he did not walk into a retiring life. He has worked relentlessly for the health and well-being of the people of South Africa and for the world. He has been responsible for setting up three foundations.

His life has been an inspiration for people around the world and he is held in high esteem.

He has continued to preach reconciliation instead of vengeance.

27 Years in prison

Nelson Mandela was an African-American in an African-American land. The problem was that the white man ran the country in spite of the fact that the white population was far less than the African-American population. Apartheid became the rule of the day. It was another word for legal segregation enforced by the National Party government during the years of 1948-1994.

In 1961 Mandela became the leader of new party which tried non-violent protests and later took up arms when they saw that the movement was gaining no ground. They coordinated sabotage campaigns against military and government buildings, trying to make sure that no people were killed in the process. But people did get killed and the guerilla war continued.

The suspects were rounded up and among those caught and charged was Nelson Mandela. He was arrested after living on the run for 17 months and was imprisoned. At the time of his trial, he said: "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination and have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all people live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.. It is an ideal which I hope to live for all to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

Nelson Mandela of South Africa and the World

Nelson Mandela is a man known all over the world for his struggle to find peace in South Africa. He has had multiple honors.

He became the oldest elected President of South Africa when he took office at the age of 75 in 1994. In 1993 he was given the Nobel Peace Prize. Statues and bridges named for him are to be found all over the world. He has received the Peace Prizes of Turkey, India and the Soviet Union . The United States and Canada have honored him with their country's highest awards. The United Nations declared that July 18 would be designed as his special day to be remembered.

Yet, for all the deserved honors now heaped upon him, this man, languished in a South African prison for 27 years! He paid a heavy price for reaching out to help raise others out of discrimination!