Reflections on a Dream
By Phyllis Wilder
This past weekend I was honored to attend the white-tie, star studded event MLK: A Monumental Life, a musical theater production chronicling the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The performance was held at Washington, D.C.’s DAR (Daughters of the Revolution) Constitution Hall. Cast members captured Dr. King’s early days at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta through the civil rights movement.
Though the event was a joyous celebration of his life, it was not long ago that the African-American contralto Marian Anderson was denied the right to sing in Constitution Hall. To be present for an occasion to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. in that very place and listen to mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves sing "Ave Maria" by Schubert—was one of many poignant moments of the presentation.
For me, it served as a reminder of the sacrifices he and many others made for African Americans to enjoy today’s freedoms and luxuries. I am humbled and honored to have been a witness to the completion of MLK’s memorial on the National Mall during the tenure of the nation’s first African American President. The fulfillment of the dream continues.
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