i have a dream, too

martin luther king's day dawns dark and cold. in the morning stillness, i reread that famous speech.

and one thing i notice... is that it's all about men.

i understand it was the parlance of the time. i understand the uses of rhetoric. I understand that this speech is as much a work of oratory as it is a communication to a crowd.

but this is clearly a man speaking to his fellow men. dr. king refers to his brothers, his children and his fellow man. when he alludes to all of god's children, one might think that all of god's children are male, because there's no mention of any other kind.

i was eight years old when dr. king was shot that january day. he was a person of courage, of vision, of eloquence and passion. certainly he changed the world more than i ever will.

but from my vantage point of forty years and a different sex, i see that the stumbling block to dr king's dream still rises as high as any mountain and murky as any sea.

until women - all women, of every race, age, color and creed around the globe - are recognized to be equal in value, measure and worth, as any man; and respected and honored for the life-giving, life-affirming, life-sustaining sex that we are, dr. king's dream lies beyond reach of us all.

and furthermore, the war must end. blessed be.