The late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech from August 28th, 1963, has been hailed as the most or one of the most moving orations ever presented in American history. As truth and justice provided the melody, and as rhythm, rhyme, range, and rhapsody danced upon each word he uttered, Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream,” speech has terms that can change hearts, souls and minds. As a crowd of over 250,000 civil rights supporters stood together and listened with great anticipation at the Lincoln Monument, this was a defining moment in American Civil Rights History. The speech highlighted the mistreatment, exploitation, and systematic abuse of African Americans; yet, ringing with the theme of possibilities of what could become if the “Dream could come true.”; The message’s emphasis was to expose the American public to the injustice of racial inequality and offered words of persuasion to unmask discrimination and racial bias. It was a call for social justice and social change, with equality being the song of the day.
Again, here in the 21st century, we need to hear these words. Why? Because of the mistreatment, exploitation, and systematic abuse present in our justice system that robs the innocent of their respect and dignity. Namely, The Industrial Prison Complex is where persons of African descent are caught up in the web of an 80-billion-dollar business that exploits people of color every day. Can you hear their lamenting with words riddled with stanzas and moves of unfairness, which are moving through the air? If there was ever a time for Americans to hear Dr. King’s words as they echo across the annuals of time, it is today.
The Dream Re-Imagined is a manual for HBCUs to use in their efforts to “Develop and implement face to face, online, or correspondence accredited college degrees to persons who are incarcerated.”; This is intended by offering a new melody sung by the voices of the Fisk Jubilee Singers (HBCU Fisk University in Nashville, TN), a modern hymn performed by the Queen of Gospel music. Yolanda Adams (HBCU graduate of Texas Southern University in Houston, TX). A new anthem/rap performed by Two Chainz (HBCU graduate of Virginia State University in Petersburg, VA). These Vocal lyrics can fuel the minds of persons who need a fresh “Oasis of Hope” in the judicial system’s desert, which breeds despair, hopelessness, and distrust. Hope is what HBCUs can give to men and women behind prison bars that provide a new orientation of the spirit, a willingness to be in a hopeless place, and a witness to a new dream. The Dream Re-Imagined can be a mid-wife for incarcerated individuals who are at risk of aborting, miscarrying, or birthing their potential.