Alliance San Diego was honored to host Martin Luther King, III, on Tuesday morning, August 28, 2018, as he delivered a passionate speech on the 55th anniversary of his father’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Mr. King called on the nation to “create a collective consciousness that holds the values of human dignity, liberty and civility.”

<< Check out photos from Mr. King’s visit here >>

At the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his seminal “I Have a Dream” speech and spoke of a dream where all children “will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character.” That dream has become synonymous with the universal dream for dignity and respect.

Unfortunately, we have not yet fully realized Dr. King’s dream, especially in the border region. Harsh federal immigration and border enforcement policies that deny men, women, and children their humanity are contrary to the principles laid out by Dr. King.

Relive this historic moment by watching the footage from our live stream below.

Standing before the San Diego border wall, Mr. King said the following:

“This border wall behind me has become a symbol of hate and division. It leads to the separation of children from their parents, endangers border communities and takes the lives of people in search of safety and freedom. For many, it is a symbol that represents the injustices against immigrants and border communities from San Diego, CA to Brownsville, TX, and beyond.

My father was a builder of bridges, not walls. In fact, you could say that his nonviolent leadership was all about tearing down walls — walls of racial segregation and separation, walls of discrimination and division, walls of fear and ignorance that were created to prevent the unity of people of all backgrounds.

There was no room for building walls in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Dream. Instead, he was about building bridges — bridges of trust and understanding, bridges of mutual respect and goodwill, bridges of hope and opportunity. And that’s what we who believe in his Dream must be about today. It is about revitalization, not militarization. That is what we must do to create a great future for all of the people of North America and the world.

Towards the final days of his life, my father often turned to a theme honed in the crucible of nonviolent struggle. That theme was a call to conscience. It was a call that would create a collective consciousness that holds the values of human dignity, liberty and civility. This would be a revolution of values. That revolution would restructure the very architecture of our society. That call to conscience remains today. And, it is up to you and me to answer the call and realize his Dream.”