The DREAM and the DREAMER

This article was originally published by Terryl Ross for Tacoma’s Northwest Dispatch in 1990.

"Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgotten. America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most indispensable element of greatness--justice."
Martin Luther King, Jr. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?--1967

It's 1968. Dad's in Nam, my twin, Terrence, and I are 8-year-old Black boys living in Fort Lewis, Washington. Martin Luther King, Jr. dies. I'm not old enough to understand why the news of his death causes sadness to all around me, but I do remember Mom's tears. I'm not old enough to understand the meaning of the Civil Rights Movement, but I am old enough to remember the feeling of pride and unity that flowed among my diverse community. I'm not old enough to understand the significance of the dream, but I am old enough to understand the dreamer.

My brother, Lance, who is three years younger, is too young to understand either. He does not remember the day Martin Luther King died, and like all of the Black kids who will follow him, he will have to read about it in books. He will not be taught the importance of the dream, he will be taught the importance of the dreamer.

And oh what a dreamer he was. He carried the souls of despair on his shoulders and proudly marched his people to the footsteps of the mountain of freedom. He won the Nobel Peace Prize. His face has forever been etched in the pages of history books. His birthday has become a national holiday. He became the dreamer we all learned about.

But what about his dream?

Have we been spending so much time focusing in on the dreamer that we have ignored the dream? How many of us have read his words and know his dream? How many of us know what he lived for and what he died for? Did he not teach us to focus in on the future not the past? Did he not show us the virtue of faith over doubt? Would he not want us to focus in on the dream and not the dreamer?

If we focus in on the dreamer, he is dead and will never return. But if we focus in on the dream, it is alive and yearns to be realized.

Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed that we would put all our faith in God and combat injustice regardless of the outcome. He dreamed of a time when America would fulfill its creed and people would be "judged by the content of our characters and not by the color of our skin." He dreamed of a nation which worshiped the spiritual God, not the corporate one. He dreamed of those who have, freely sharing with those who have not. He dreamed of a world that embraces the virtues of diversity.

It's 1990. Dad survived Nam only to succumb to a 12-year bout with cancer he got from Agent Orange. Terrence would march to make the holiday a reality only to die from that four-letter disease, one year later. I'm a 30-year-old African-American man living in Tacoma, Washington. I'm not old enough to know why our society has turned its back on the dream, but I am old enough to understand the need to fight for it. Santa and the Easter bunny have obscured the true meaning of Christmas and Easter. I fear shopping malls and basketball tournaments will obscure the meaning of this one.

He helped ease society's pain.
Do not let him die in vain.
It is time to join the team
That honors the dreamer by living his dream!

--Terryl Ross

"I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over and I've seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as people will get to the promised land."
Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis the night before his assassination--1968

Terryl on Terrell

Brothers Rice and Bass:

In the spirit of community, please allow me to offer a different opinion about Terrell Owens. From where I sit, I am in total support of the actions taken by the Philadelphia Eagles against Terrell Owens, I do not believe he has been victimized, and I think Senator Specter was out of line with his comments.

As you know, different professions have different policies and codes of ethics. For example, professors, nurses, and air traffic controllers all have different definitions of what is appropriate or inappropriate. In pro sports, a team is not allowed to discuss contracts or playing for them with an athlete that is under contract with another team. This is called “tampering”. Not long ago, Minnesota Timberwolves Executive, Kevin McHale, was suspended because it was proven that he tampered with another player while that player was under contract. Terrell Owens is currently under contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, therefore it is considered “tampering” when Cowboy’s owner, Jerry Jones, says we wants Terrell to play for his team.

Emotions aside, it’s important to remember that Terrell Owens has been suspended for three main reasons:
1. He violated the terms of the NFL labor agreement,
2. He violated the terms of his own contract, and
3. He committed several acts deemed “destructive and continuing threat,” most notably starting a fight with another player in his locker room.

Independent arbitrator, Richard Bloch, heard testimony from both sides and ruled to uphold the suspension against Mr. Owens stating, "no violation of the labor agreement inherent in the club's decision to pay Mr. Owens, but not to permit him to play or practice due to the nature of his conduct and its destructive and continuing threat to the team."

As a former football player, a former football coach, and an African-American man, I find Terrell’s behavior disturbing. Our bigoted society has countless examples of people being victimized by the system, but this is not one of them. On more than one occasion, I have not been  permitted to earn a salary because I was at the mercy of a malevolent oppressor and I consider it an insult to anyone that has ever been in this position to call Terrell Owens a victim.

Terrell Owens continues to get paid his full salary of several million dollars (minus the loss of pay for the 4 games he was suspended and possibly some of his signing bonus) so it is inaccurate to say that he has been denied an opportunity to earn a living. I am in disagreement with people like Jesse Jackson who are supporting Terrell Owens in this case and with Gene Upshaw who has vowed to fire the arbitrator based upon this ruling.

Sometimes people are right and sometime people are wrong. As a social justice advocate, I try to approach my life with integrity and consistency. I have a proven history of standing with others when I think they are right, but I also have a history of respectfully disagreeing with others when I think they are wrong. I respect Mr. Owens’s humanity, but do not respect his behavior.

On this issue, this Terryl thinks that Terrell was wrong!
--Terryl

PS. I love you both and am thankful we live in a country where we can respectfully disagree.

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Terryl J. Ross, Ph.D.
MOSAIC President
tjross@myuw.net
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"The greatest thing about planting a tree is knowing that some day someone else will be able to enjoy its shade."
--Barbara Walker