Progress
             Do we make progress by going forward, into a future which is unknown,
             but open to possibilities' Is this the course of action of a people who
             want to make progress, and change the details of their life' Or do we make
             progress by reaching backwards and attaching ourselves to a known, less
             ambiguous identity' By looking backward, we find that there are fewer
             variables, and fewer chances for failure, because we know the variables.
             By looking backward, we find -- at least on the surface of things -- a
             measure of familiarity, and peace.
             Alice Walker and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. both spoke to the heart
             of the black American population. They both suggested a course of action
             which they believed would improve the state of the black American populace,
             and give them a measure of power and control over their lives, after having
             little to none of the same since the founding of the nation. However, these
             two motivators suggested opposite plans in order to achieve the progress.
             Dr, King wanted to go forward, while Ms. Walker questioned the value of
             going back.
             Dr. King looked forward with enthusiasm and clarity. He believed that
             men could rise above the centuries of abuse, and discrimination and set a
             new course for a better future. In his "I have a dream" speech, Dr. King
             summed up his hopes in these famous words.
             "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we
             stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came
             as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had
             been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous
             daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years
             later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.
             . . One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly
             crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of
             ...