The Civil Rights Movement & the Black Middle Class: A Proposal In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired a generation with his "I have a Dream" speech. He said that he wanted his children to grow up in a country where they were not judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Today, over a quarter century later, one looks at contemporary society and wonders how well has America lived up to this challenge. While there are certainly still problems with race relations, discrimination still exists and hate-crimes still occur, an argument can be made that American society has come a long way towards realizing King's goal. In contemporary society, there is no longer any official sanction of racial discrimination or prejudice. When hate-crimes occur, they areóin sharp contrast to previous erasóprosecuted to the full extent to the law. But, by far, the most compelling argument that America is on its way to realizing King's goal is the fact that there is now a large, active, visible and vibrant African-American middle classóthe …show more content…
In response to the accusation of being an outside agitator, King said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" (Evans 32). He mocked the notion that he was responsible if nonviolence provoked violence from those in authority. "Isn't it like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated an evil act of robbery?" (Evans 32). He also pointed out that it was easy for whites to tell blacks to "wait" when they had never "seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters…" (Evans