On Tuesday, January 27 2015, at 10:16pm I received an email from the Language Arts teacher of one of my sons.
Tears of pride filled my eyes as I read these words.
"Dear Mr. Arnold,
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to send you a note about how proud I
am of Trey. He did an amazing job
writing and presenting his I Have a Dream speech to the class on Friday. I'm not sure if he shared it with you, but I
hope he will. I know he spoke from his
heart, and made an impact on so many people.
He struggled with some emotions, but that just showed how compassionate
he felt. You have a wonderful son, and
it has been a real pleasure to have him in class this year.
Fondly,
K"
The next day my son messaged me and asked if I would like him to send his speech to me. This became the second proud moment of the week. As I read the words my fourteen year old son had spoken to his classmates, I was overcome with emotion. I imagine it would have been even more emotional had I actually heard him give the speech.
The following is the speech that was written by my fourteen year old son that has given me a stronger sense of pride than I have felt in a while.
I Have a Dream
By: "T"
I have a dream that one day this nation will accept people
for who they are.
I have a dream that one day the world will be a better
place. People will treat everyone around the world with the respect they have
desperately deserved for so long
I have a dream that one day individuals who are gay will
finally have the respect and equality they have deserved for years. I will
avoid the places that do not support gay rights and marriage.
I have a dream that one day marriage for any sexual
orientation will be legal in any state and any country.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream today that one day my father and his partner
will be able to reunite with his family who has pushed him out of their lives.
I haven’t seen my aunt and uncle in 2 years because they don’t approve of his
sexual orientation.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day everyone will be able to be in
the pursuit of happiness. The Martin Luther King Jr. speech of equality for
African Americans is the horrible beast that is now the discriminating against
individuals who are gay today.
This is my faith. With this faith we will be able to have
the Individuals who are gay and the individuals who are straight be treated
equally.
I have two amazing sons, who never cease to amaze me. They are both so full of love and compassion, and they both truly understand more about this life than I ever imagined they would at the age of fourteen. I can only hope that, as they grow up, they will continue to share their love and compassion with others to show the positives in this world without letting the negatives bring them down.
