We have to face the truth. And part of the truth that we must face is that we are late in learning the truth.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. says we have to rise up and live out the creed. What does it require to “rise up and live out” the creed? And what exactly is the creed?
There actually is an “American Creed.” William Tyler Page (of Friendship Heights, Md.) wrote it in 1917 as an entry into a patriotic contest. The U.S. House of Representatives adopted it on April 3, 1918. Page described it as “a summing up, in one hundred words, of the basic principles of American political faith.”
Here’s what he created:
“I believe in the United States of America, as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
“I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.”
As for Dr. King and the “creed,” it’s clear that he was focused on the Declaration of Independence during his classic “I have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. in 1963.
Says Dr. King:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”
Memphis – forever linked to Dr. King’s spirit by his last days on earth here – eventually will be the epicenter for a “rise up and live out the creed” movement. This I see. This I am committed to make happen.
To “rise up” we have to first "slow down," and attach value to the creed – as did Dr. King. Start simple: read the “Declaration of Independence.” And then find a child you can talk to about it.
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