I have a dream!

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

That was an excerpt from a speech once given by Martin Luther King Jr that moved me to tears. It was introduced to me by an English teacher back in high school and I am eternally grateful to her for that. For the distance travelled by the Reverend and his people has been long and hard, in a way, they have finally come full circle.

For us here in Malaysia, our journey has barely begun...

Racism remains a way of life for most of the people in power, whether political, religious or economically. While grassroots will to undo decades of policies that created today's climate exists, the strength and power of such movements has not reach its full force and it is my fear that it will never reach that end.

I can only hope that one day, Malaysia will have its own Obama moment.