The Dreamer

For this piece, I wanted to express my view of the notion "color blind" and what it really reflects when you look at it from a visual context. Many people use the phrase to innocently express, that they bare no prejudice of any kind. Unfortunately that's not really what translates to a person whose been, or still being discriminated against. They certainly do not view things that way at all. Whether it be skin pigmentation, religion, ethnicity, lifestyle, traditions, culture, customs, or nationality - it all has color. Color is what makes opening our eyes worth doing. I have NEVER condoned the principle of "color blind" because; it just means being totally blind to the richness that is our diverse world. It's a depressing outlook to have and it constrains, marginalizes, and limits us from each other and our life experiences. So I decided I wanted to show the two perspectives: one of absolutely no color; and the other with all the colors of the rainbow. I also wanted to hint at the old saying of "The grass is greener on the other side" in relation to the other side of the grass which has no color at all.

My subject that I used is MLK and I took my time with him; because I have always felt the man didn't just speak for the segregated Negros of America during the Civil Rights era - but of the oppression of humanity.

He spoke against targeted killings of innocent people and children during Vietnam.
He spoke against segregation and apartheid.
He spoke against unjustifiable warfare - all warfare.
He spoke against the lack of education or poor education given to minorities.
He spoke against Oppression from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
He spoke for all of us when he didn't have to at all. Yet his words resonate with every person - who does that anymore?

He still speaks for us today if we only had the courage to follow in his footsteps - no matter who we are.

The quote I used is from a speech which I'll provide for you right here:

"To accept passively an unjust system is to cooperate with that system; thereby the oppressed become as evil as the oppressor. Non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. The oppressed must never allow the conscience of the oppressor to slumber. Religion reminds every man that he is his brother’s keeper. To accept injustice or segregation passively is to say to the oppressor that his actions are morally right. It is a way of allowing his conscience to fall asleep. At this moment the oppressed fails to be his brother’s keeper. So acquiescence-while often the easier way-is not the moral way. It is the way of the coward. The Negro cannot win the respect of his oppressor by acquiescing; he merely increases the oppressor’s arrogance and contempt. Acquiescence is interpreted as proof of the Negro’s inferiority. The Negro cannot win the respect of the white people of the South or the peoples of the world if he is willing to sell the future of his children for his personal and immediate comfort and safety."


MLK would be marching today I just know it.