Don't wake me...this dream isn't over yet

Way back in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected President of these United States, some people swore that Martin Luther King Jr's "dream" was fulfilled. I'll go ahead and point out the obvious that these folk had no clue what Dr. King's dream was about. Certainly Dr. King (the spokesperson of the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s) wanted to move our country in a direction of racial equality--where Blacks (primarily) were on par with whites. Here in 2012 however our country is more diverse than ever; equality isn't just Black and white anymore. Race may not even play a factor--and in that respect perhaps Dr. King's "dream" is a reality. I for one feel we have a ways to go.

The color barrier isn't broken down, but it is admittedly cracked. The bigger picture though--equality--is still a problem. From the digital divide to income inequality, America (and western civilization generally) still suffers from gross inequality among its citizenry. It just so happens that many of the people on the "wrong" side of these inequities are not white. Centuries of racism definitely played a part in creating this "caste" system, but the issue these days isn't so much about the amount of melanin in ones skin as it is about the "haves" and "have nots."

In terms of progress, there are more wealthy people of color in 2012 than their were in 1963 when Dr. King revealed to the world his "dream." Our schools systems are integrated (technically). Public facilities are exactly that--public. Integration however has not solved the underlying problem: how do we get to a point where everyone, regardless of race or background has access to the American dream? That is, how can each generation improve on the next? It's really quite simple: Incentivize progress.

You may be saying to yourself, "what that means?" It means it should be better to change where you are but remember where you're from than to stay where you're from in order to "keep it real." It means revamping student aid. It means rewarding people who roll off the government social service programs to become greater contributors to society. The rates of recidivism for Americas social service programs suggest they aren't working; instead they create a cycle where generation after generation continues to live a government subsidized lifestyle. Making it more beneficial to be OFF government assistance than it is to continue on it would help us get closer to fulfilling the "dream". It shouldn't be cool to be "hood." Moving out of the hood shouldn't be frowned upon. Contributing to the progress of your fellow human because you remember what it was like in the hood is what we should strive for. Having a hustle is cool; turning that hustle into a legitimate business is better. Having the people on your block revere you is much better than them fearing you, so instead of shooting it up, build it up.

Once we make it cool for everyone to move forward THEN we will be closer to Dr. King's "dream." Until then, keep sleeping.