Phree to be Greedy

So somebody out in the design world created these sweet Dr. Martin Luther King Junior tees. It’s four of the same pixilated pictures of Dr. King. In each square toward the bottom of the pictures’ frame is a word. The first says “I”. The second “have.” The third “a.” The fourth “dream.” It’s simple and powerful and I can’t even be mad that we at Phreedum didn’t think of it first. But I’ve seen the shirt twice now and I definitely dig it.
The second time I saw the shirt I couldn’t help but to pause for a moment of introspection and think about the great man’s words. I stopped to think about his dream for us as a nation in light of the work I do and in light of the 5th year anniversary of hurricane Katrina. I couldn’t help think of his words in light of the flood that ripped and devastated Pakistan recently.
When I’m not working on and for Phreedum, my nine to five gig is counseling individuals who’ve been sexually abused and/or assaulted. I see them pretty young, and I wonder how what has happened will impact their dreams. I see them pretty old and I know how the abuse and assault has impacted their dreams.
I wasn’t in Louisiana, and I don’t have family there either. But I have seen the devastation of a misplaced people. I have seen my own ignorance. When I saw the Spike Lee documentary on television I was shocked that it had been five years since the levies broke. I had the privilege of forgetting. The people from there haven’t . Many people lost their dreams there, others are still working to reclaim them.
And Pakistan. Let’s not forget those who haven’t made it to this land, this land where dreams are suppose to come true. The news articles are still adjusting death tolls and budget estimates for relief. Again, people displaced, and dreams deferred.
Dr. King dreamed from the mountain top and I would venture to say he dreams from his grave. I think when I consider the task that is set before Phreedum it is a huge task to accomplish. It’s really no different than Dr, King’s. He wanted us to say “Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty I am free at last.” And I want people today to be able to say the same. I want to support agencies similar to the one I work for to help their clients reclaim their dreams and experience freedom. I want the survivors of Katrina to go back to the soils from which they are from if they choose and plant new seeds of hope, build bridges of courage, and lay foundations for homes where they are free to start again. I want those in Pakistan to be able to do the same.
I want a lot. I am greedy in that way. Phreedum is greedy in that way. We want people to be free to maximize their potentials, to live the lives they were destined to live from the cradle before they meet the grave. And freedom has a price. Dr. King knew that all too well.

Phreedum ain’t phree. Wake up!