Friday, January 23, 2009
YOUNGSTOWN — “Dreams never die but may be delayed,” the Rev. Dr. Valentino Lassiter told the 300 people assembled for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Diversity Breakfast 2009 at Kilcawley Center. It was the seventh annual King diversity breakfast.
The assistant professor of religious studies and pastor in residence at John Carroll University in Cleveland said he specifically encouraged the young people in the audience that included clergy, community leaders and Youngstown State University staff “to continue what the dream is all about” and heed the words and vision of King.
He titled his talk, “Deferred Dreams.” Drawing on his religious background, the Rev. Mr. Lassiter said Hebrew Scripture has 116 references to dreams, with 52 mentioned in Genesis. He pointed out that in Scripture, Joseph is known as a dreamer:
“Here comes the dreamer. Let us slay him, and then let us see what will become of his dreams!” from Genesis 32:19.
Joseph told his brothers he had a dream that they would pay homage to him, but they didn’t believe him and threw him down a well. Joseph, later rescued, made a successful life in Egypt interpreting the pharoah’s dreams and eventually saving his own family from famine.
Mr. Lassiter said Divine Providence may give us a dream or a vision. "I think providence worked in Dr. King,” he said.
Mr. Lassiter also described King as a “prophet and dreamer.” King said: “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.”
He said the election and inauguration of President Barack Obama come close to making King’s dream a reality. “This week, the dream came close to fruition,” he said, but added that there is still work to be done.
“The inauguration is not a victory for African-Americans but for all freedom-loving people,” Mr. Lassiter said.
“What we celebrate today, the dream deferred, began years ago,” Mr. Lassiter said of the new president’s inauguration. He pointed out that the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People about 100 years ago, the “I Have a Dream” speech by King in 1963, the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and the Civil Rights Act in 1964 represent dreams deferred.
“King and Joseph were both important dreamers. Both can teach us about delayed dreams,” Mr. Lassiter said. “But dreamers can be annoying. Dr. King annoyed the status quo,” he said.
Mr. Lassiter said King personifies the dreamer who took abstract ideas and worked for change to make them reality. “Dr. King held fast and believed that change could come,” he said.
Mr. Lassiter cautioned young people not to give up on their dreams just because they may be delayed or deferred. “Never be content or complacent with deferred dreams,” he said. “Don’t use deferment as an excuse for failure.”
The speaker observed that the era in which we live is exciting. And we have witnessed dreams come to reality but now must imagine new dreams. “You’re challenged to envision new dreams,” he charged the young people.
Dr. Cryshanna Jackson of YSU’s political science department introduced the speaker. She noted he is the author of “Martin Luther King in the African-American Preaching Tradition,” which connects King’s legacy to how people can make a difference in their communities. Mr. Lassiter holds a doctor of ministry degree from Eden Theological Seminary, a master of divinity from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree from Fisk University.
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