We hope you had a happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and maybe even a three-day weekend! The U.S. celebrates it as a federal holiday annually on the third Monday of January, but not every nurse or health care employee in a 24/7 workplace gets that time off.
There were many celebrations around the country to commemorate the life and achievements of this great American leader. Some events, sadly, reminded the nation that we’re still struggling to achieve Dr. King’s dream of racial harmony.
Maybe it’s time for all of us to once again listen and reflect on, Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech. His legendary civil rights-era address to the nation is ranked by scholars as one of the greatest American speeches in modern U.S. history. Most of us can easily recognize parts of it, such as this famous line:
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
You can hear audio and read a transcript of the entire “Dream” speech that Dr. King delivered in 1963 at the March on Washington, here.
As a nurse, you no doubt hold tight to similar dreams of equality, justice, and compassion for the patients and communities you serve. You might also feel called to lead the charge on social justice issues that impact every level of society. Nurses are caretakers, but they’re often also change-makers at heart, educating and empowering others by sharing powerful, informative, and inspiring messages of healing and hope.
You might have sparked change by taking part in the wave of social and political activity we saw in 2018. As you already know, a record 113 million people are estimated to have voted in the November midterm elections. That’s an incredible number—the highest since 1966, when Dr. King was expanding the campaign for civil rights from the South to the northern cities, like Chicago.
Additionally, a record 117 women won political office in what has been called the “Year of the Woman” and now about one in five members of Congress are women. This 116th Congress is also the most racially diverse, with 42 women of color, including Native American and Muslim congresswomen. These are great advances, but not nearly enough in a nation where women make up over 50% of the population.
Nurses have always advocated on behalf of patients, their families, the community, and the entire nation. Sometimes that advocacy is on the front lines of politics, as we recently reported in a magazine feature, NurseLegalRightsintheWorkplace.
One such nurse, Martese Chism, RN, a Chicago-area nurse had a role model in her great-grandmother, Birdia Keglar, a civil rights activist that marched in Selma with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and lost her life because of it. Chism felt called to advocacy as a nurse, and with the support of her union, has spoken out about the closure of public hospitals and other health care facilities in minority communities.
There are so many ways to affect social justice as a nurse, even if it’s in a small, quiet, and non-political way.
What’s your dream for patients and nurses in 2019? We’d love to hear about it.
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so naturally we remember Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech. As you may know, he delivered the stirring message in 1963 at the March on Washington, in a dramatic and impassioned call for an end to racism.
What you might not know is that his address to the nation is ranked by scholars as the top American speech in U.S. 20th century history! It still lives on for everyone moved by his dream of equality.
But some people, especially younger Americans, have forgotten the reason for MLK Day. To them it’s just another three-day weekend, like President’s Day. Mainly, they ponder whether to go to the shore or to the mountains or to stay at home and binge-watch Netflix.
One way we can be reminded and reinspired by Dr. King is by viewing the movie about a major episode in his dramatic life, Selma. This phenomonal film is racking up accolades and awards, including at the Golden Globes. Some believe it was snubbed at the Oscar — it’s nominated only for Best Picture and Best Song, and not for its many fine performances or the strong vision of its young, female, African-American director. You can see a trailer and find out more here. It’s playing at theaters in major markets throught the US.
Another thing we can do is to read the entire “Dream” speech here. Amazingly Dr. King almost didn’t deliver it because his adviser, the Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, feared it was “hackneyed and trite.” Right before the march, Walker and his staff drafted a replacement titled, “Normalcy Never Again.” (Doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it?)
Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson is responsible for Dr. King’s change of heart; she called out to him, “Tell ’em about the dream, Martin” as he started speaking. He paused and said, “I still have a dream.”
Here is one small, electrifying snippet from his address to the crowd:
“I still have a dream, a dream deeply rooted in the American dream – one day this nation will rise up and live up to its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream…”
Maybe you don’t consider yourself a dreamer. Most nurses are practical, ingenious workers and their patients and communities value them highly for their hands-on care. But most likely you do hold tight to dreams of equality, freedom, and compassion on Earth.
There are so many ways to affect social justice as a nurse, even if it’s just in your own little corner of the world. How does your heart and imagination inspire you to act? What is your dream for 2016? We’d love to hear about it.
Jebra Turner is a freelance health and business writer in Portland, Oregon. Visit her online at www.jebra.com.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day we naturally remember Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech, delivered in 1963 at the March on Washington, where he called for an end to racism. That stirring address is ranked by scholars as the top American speech in U.S. 20th century history, and it still lives on for everyone moved by his dream of equality. Click here for 9 things you didn’t know about the dream.
A man of action as a civil rights activist, Dr. King was also a minister and a dreamer. Some of us are loathe to be called dreamers because it suggests we aren’t also doers. But most nurses are practical, ingenious workers and their patients and communities value them highly for their hands-on care.
Still, there is a way to call on your intuition to “dream” your way to your best and truest life. It’s called treasure mapping, and it’s a fun way to clarify your vision for yourself at home and at work.
Instead of using your left brain and writing a list of resolutions, say, you can shift to your right brain, which favors images, and make a collage based on how your heart inspires and guides you.
Here’s the how-to of treasure-mapping:
1. Gather up some of your favorite magazines (or saved greeting cards, photos, or stickers).
2. Get a large sheet of paper or cardboard, scissors, glue, and colored pens or paints.
3. What dream do you want to depict?: Your best life or your strongest self or your ideal year, etc.
4. Without thinking about it too much, cut out images that appeal to you and that seem to relate to your dream.
5. Dreamily, shift the images around in whatever pattern is most pleasing to you. Once you’ve got it, glue images in place.
6. Decorate the images so that the whole collage speaks to you more clearly. For instance, if you see a theme in the images, write a phrase across the top as a title. Or highlight certain sections with a bright glitter pen. Let loose and have fun.
7. Hang up your image map where you can see it often – each time you look at it you’ll see something different. Plus, you’ll be reinforcing in your conscious mind whatever your subconscious shared in this treasure map.
8. If you enjoyed this project, make treasure maps for your close friends or family. At the top of this blog is a treasure map that my sister made for me years ago. She wishes for me a room with a view, which is something that I highly value. You know what? Every place I’ve lived in since has had vast, sweeping, monster views of cityspaces and leafy parks. Coincidence? I think not.
How do you dream your best life? Do you have a creative method that you’d like to share? We’d love to hear about it.
Jebra Turner is a freelance health and business writer in Portland, Oregon. Visit her online at www.jebra.com.
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