On Dreams and Visions of Social Justice
In the early 1920s, something powerful was happening in Harlem, New York. In a period later esteemed the Harlem Renaissance, Harlem became a cultural mecca for African American literature, music, art, and intellectual thought.[i]Disillusioned by the failed promises of economic reconstruction and continued racial hostility, African Americans left the South in record numbers. Many migrated to northern areas, like Harlem, where Black culture flourished. The Harlem Renaissance provided a platform for great musicians like Louis Armstrong, actors like Paul Robeson, and poets like Langston Hughes to offer their gifts to the world. These artists elevated black culture and raised the consciousness of African Americans continuously fighting for racial equality.
In a poem by Langston Hughes entitled “Harlem,” Hughes seemed to capture the dreams and visions of African Americans of the time. Hughes poetically and prophetically asked the question: “What happens to a dream deferred?”[ii]There is a part of me that wants to immediately answer the question that Hughes poses in his poem, but sometimes it is necessary to wrestle with tension in order to discover new possibilities. In this moment, America struggles with the tension between our deeply held cultural values of freedom and equality AND the lived experiences of people of color.
For example, COVID-19 has illuminated long-standing racial disparities in America’s health care ecosystem where black and brown people have poorer outcomes due, in large part, to chronic and underlying medical conditions. Moreover, the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have revealed systemic racial bias in policing, along with the psychological trauma associated with it. According to the NAACP, the “police killings of unarmed Black Americans are responsible for more than 50 million additional days of poor mental health per year among Black Americans.”[iii] The mental health conditions among African Americans have likely become worse during this pandemic as people have become more socially distant and isolated. There is an old adage in the African American community that says, “when America catches a cold, Black folks get pneumonia.”
Proverbs 13:22 states that “hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Another translation of this same verse asserts that “a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” What is a dream but an enduring hope and longing desire for something to be fulfilled? The Apostle Paul in Romans 5:5 declares that “hope does not disappoint us.” This hope we have as Christians is not a forlorn hope or one that goes unsatisfied. In 2 Corinthians 3:12, the Apostle Paul writes that “since then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness.” If I were to ponder the question posed by Langston Hughes, “What happens to a dream deferred?” I would affirm that it endures.
The biblical story of Joseph (Genesis 37) demonstrates this concept. Joseph had a dream that placed him in a position of power over his brothers, and his brothers hated him because of it. In fact, his brothers despised the dream so much so that they conspired to kill him. When his brothers saw Joseph from a distance, “they said to one another, ‘Here comes the dreamer. Come now, let us kill him.’”[iv] Joseph’s brothers thought that the dream would die with the dreamer, but the dream endured. The dream endured from Joseph being sold into slavery and imprisoned erroneously, to him eventually becoming second in command under Pharaoh.
The same lesson can be drawn from a more painful period in American history, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The dream that Dr. King articulated in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech has endured despite deliberate efforts to kill it. Dr. King envisioned a future where all lives mattered, but his primary focus was securing freedoms for Black Americans who suffered generations of oppression. We have come a long way as a country, from posting ‘Colored Only’ signs at city water fountains to painting ‘Black Lives Matter’ signs on city streets. However, Dr. King’s dream of racial equality and inclusion has not been fully realized. Simply put, there is more work to do to recover the dream for allAmericans.
I believe a dream deferred is a dream that endures because the dream is always bigger than the dreamer. Betty Flowers argues that a “dream is larger than any one leader; it is the light that shines on the dream that allows followers to use the dream as a guide and pursue”[v] it. Embedded in Dr. King’s dream was a vision for equality that continues to endure and point America in the right direction. Frank Thomas points to Dr. King’s use of moral imagination. According to Thomas, “moral imagination involves an inclusive vision of freedom and equality for all, and not just words, but also in deeds, such as to put one’s physical presence or even reputation on the line.”[vi]
Furthermore, Richard Daft points out that visions need to transcend the bottom line and provide others with a sense of meaning and purpose.[vii] In other words, people want to commit to something that is higher than themselves and truly worthwhile. Leaders can learn from Dr. King’s use of inclusive language, poetry, and prose to craft an effective vision. At times, visions can be too abstract and complex to be usable.[viii] The Apostle Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 13:12 that we see through the glass darkly, and as such, it is the responsibility of leaders to help others see the vision more clearly.
When the prophet Habakkuk saw the violence and destruction inflicted upon the land, he issued a lament against God, “how long shall I cry for help and you will not listen?” The prophet asked God, why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble?[ix] Given the perceived lack of a timely intervention, the prophet Habakkuk argues that the law has become slack, and, as a result, justice can never prevail. In a sense, Habakkuk is pointing to the problem of delayed justice and the lack of recourse when the rights of the poor and most vulnerable are trampled upon.
Likewise, who can people turn to for environmental justice when big corporations are allowed to pollute clean drinking water and emit harmful toxins in the air? Where can people find heath care justice when Big Pharma is allowed to drive up the cost of prescription drugs and insurance companies are allowed to deny coverage? And where can the families of victims of police violence go for justice when grand juries fail to indict police officers even with compelling video evidence? To paraphrase the words of Habakkuk, our notion of equal protection under the law has become slack and justice never seems to prevail.
However, in response to Habakkuk’s lament, God tells him to do what few leaders have the foresight to do, even though these words are amongst the most quoted verses in the entire book. God tells Habakkuk to “write the vision; make it plain on tablets so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not delay.”[x] The dream Langston Hughes spoke of may have been deferred, but—like Joseph’s dream of leadership, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream of racial equality, Habakkuk’s vision for justice, and the African American’s unending outcry for racial, economic, and social equality—it too has an appointed time. There is a quote attributed to Dr. King that says the time is always right to do what is right. There is no better time than now to stand for social justice and fight for real change. We need collaborative and visionary leadership in our churches, communities, civic organizations, and corporations to transform the dream into reality. Let us not defer or delay any longer as our very future as a nation depends on it.
[i] History. “Harlem Renaissance” History. Last modified February 2, 2020. https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/harlem-renaissance
[ii] Hughes, Langston. “Harlem.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46548/harlem
[iii] NAACP. “Criminal Justice Fact Sheet.” https://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/
[iv] Gen. 37:19-20
[v] Flowers, Betty. The Transforming Leader: New Approaches to Leadership for the Twenty First Century. San Francisco: CA. Berrett-Koehler, 35, 2012
[vi] Thomas, Frank. How to Preach A Dangerous Sermon. Nashville, TN: Abington Press, 54, 2018
[vii]Daft, Richard. The Leadership Experience. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2015
[viii] Bass, Bernard. The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications. New York: Fortress Press, 2008
[ix] Hab. 1:2-4.
[x] Hab. 2:2
