Abstract
This article reflects on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech delivered sixty years ago in Washington, DC. It begins by pointing to the concept of “dream” as it is understood in current language and how Dr. King used it in a theological way. Next, the essay compares this with what Pope Francis has frequently said about dreams, including his own. Reflecting on King’s words and the sense that the dream he spoke about is still not a reality but a horizon of hope that stimulates struggle, the article presents a comparative study of racism in the United States, according to King, and Brazil, where structural racism permeates the whole society, delaying indefinitely the dream of equality and justice. I also show how liberation theology has been a helpful element in the struggle to keep the dream of equality alive. I conclude that in both countries, frustration remains because the dream has not been fulfilled. But in both situations, to continue dreaming is the only option. And that means not being satisfied with the little steps made but embracing the desire for more. Only by always desiring more and more fulness of life will salvation be experienced concretely for our generation and the next.
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