Council candidate to restore King's dream

How will history view Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Will the country see him as a Christian leader who strove for social justice? Perhaps historians will tout King's political role in the fight for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It could be that Martin Luther King Jr. Day becomes just another day off from the bank, the post office and school. Maybe generations from now millions of schoolchildren will know Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. simply as the man who had a dream.

Was that all that this moral giant was about? A dream? Were his challenges to the people of the United States only a series of persuasive speeches by a dreamer? The focus of all the activities at JMU over the holiday weekend seemed to focus on our dreams for a better tomorrow. I think, however, that the legacy of King, as well as his challenge to all succeeding generations, is one of action and vision, not one of a dream.

Now some people may ask, "What is the difference between a vision and a dream?" A dream tends to be a fanciful depiction of what reality might be or what an individual might desire that reality become. Some dreams may be nobler than others, but the common aspects remain. We all have dreams, but no one shoots a dreamer.

Yes, King had a dream, but he was not a dreamer. He was a visionary. What is the difference between a vision and a dream? If a dream is a soft melody, a soothing symphony we play at night as we fall asleep, then a vision is the alarm clock that wakes us up. A dream calms us, but a vision compels us to move. It shakes us, it blasts us out of any complacency we might be in. If a dream is the heater in your dorm or apartment that warms you, then a vision is the consuming fire that destroys your room. A vision hates the status quo, and it will not shut up, regardless of the opposition.

Visionaries are assassinated. Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and King — these men had a vision for peace and unification. Lincoln wanted to welcome the South back without malice or revenge after the Civil War. Gandhi desired to see Hindus and Muslims live together in peace. King yearned to remove the racial divide between blacks and whites. His vision was equality, and it shaped his life all the way to his death at a Memphis hotel.

Since King had a vision, he became a man of action. A dreamer would have been content to sit back and talk of how life should be; King got up and worked to make his vision a reality. From organizing bus boycotts to marching into the teeth of vicious dogs and savage cops to challenging the conscious of the entire nation from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King affected countless millions through his vision and actions, not just his dream.

Perhaps if we learned more about King's vision, a tragic reality in Harrisonburg would not exist. Sadly, as long as King's only legacy is a dream, our political leaders will not feel guilty about sacrificing the vision of equality for their own political advancement. Unfortunately, this is the sad case of the Lucy F. Simms Elementary School here in Harrisonburg.

Located in the Northeast sector of the city, the Simms building housed the local area's only school for African-American children during segregation. Named for a tireless educator who spent her life serving the African-American community surrounding the building, the school became the soul of a neighborhood cut off by prejudice from the rest of the white city.

When desegregation finally reached Harrisonburg, the Simms students ended up at the formerly all-white schools and the Simms school was closed. Several community organizations moved into the vacant building, but the pride of a community had been tarnished. The Simms building became a symbol of inequality to the area; other whiter neighborhoods had a local school, but not the Northeast.

As Harrisonburg grew in the late '80s, a new elementary school became necessary. The Northeast community stood up and asked for a neighborhood school, but the new school ended up being next to the South View apartment complexes, almost as far from the Northeast as possible. The Simms supporters cried foul, but the Harrisonburg government was run then as it is now. The cares and concerns of ordinary citizens were inconsequential.

The Simms school is now back in the spotlight. Last year the school board declared the property "surplus" instead of renovating it for another needed elementary school. The school board again ignored Simms, turning its back on the vision for equality that King gave his life for.

I believe the legacy of King is about a vision, not a dream. If we truly seek to honor King, let us unite his vision and his example of action and impact our community.

Cheryl Talley, a professor in JMU's school of psychology, has declared her candidacy for Harrisonburg City Council. Talley is committed to the realization of equality here in this city. She will fight for the Lucy F. Simms building to become the next elementary school in Harrisonburg. I can think of no better way to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. than by joining Talley in her campaign for City Council.

Adam M. Sharp is a freshman foreign language major.