King showed that even though progress has been made, we should continue to fight to receive the justice we deserve. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed a year earlier, but there was still a struggle to feel and be treated equally.
The most powerful part of the speech comes at the end, where King poses the question, “How long?” asking how long we would have to fight for peace, justice, and equality.
“I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because truth crushed to earth will rise again.
How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever.
How long? Not long, because you shall reap what you sow.
How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.
How long? Not long.”
