The Impossible Dream - University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania

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Boardman Lectureship in Christian Ethics Department of Religious Studies

January 1988

The Impossible Dream The Impossible Dream

Walter E. Fauntroy U.S. House of Representatives, District of Columbia

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Fauntroy, Walter E., "The Impossible Dream" (1988). Boardman Lectureship in Christian Ethics. 15. https://repository.upenn.edu/boardman/15

Boardman Lecture XXVII. Editor and Foreword by Roland L. Williams, Jr.

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The Impossible Dream The Impossible Dream

Abstract Abstract The congressman called for a commitment to change. Drawing on memories of his close association with King, he noted that to many in his time, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a dreamer of impossible dreams. Nevertheless, King turned several "impossible dreams" into living realities. The fact that King managed to have public facilities desegregated, in the face of strong opposition, serves as a good example. From this the congressman found encouragement that, although injustice continues to plague society, if we pledge ourselves to the kind of ideals that inspired King, we will find it possible to create a more equitable order. In response to the lecture, Dr. Mary Frances Berry, the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought, recalled that, beyond racism, King opposed the Vietnam war. She urged the audience to work toward the kind of society of which he dreamed.

Comments Comments Boardman Lecture XXVII. Editor and Foreword by Roland L. Williams, Jr.

This presentation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/boardman/15