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In his famous, “I have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”

For as long as hatred poisons our society, there will always be a struggle for justice. There will always be a struggle for freedom. Because hatred attempts to rob another man or woman of their basic human rights.

There are still some, even today, who remember and hold bitterness in their hearts for the past. There are also some who remember all of Martin Luther King Jr.’s message and strive, even today, to fight evil with good.

There is a reason that Martin Luther King Jr.’s message was so highly regarded, that his words delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial will be forever remembered, that the date of his birth would become a national holiday.

It’s because he, a minister, was an ambassador of Jesus Christ. He died fighting for what he believed and for that, he has earned our respect and is deserving of honor and recognition from the generations that have been made better because of his sacrifices.

On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. will again be remembered in Natchez with a parade and fanfare sponsored by the Natchez Branch of the NAACP. Motorcycles, dancers and bands will ride and march through the streets of Downtown Natchez, beginning at 3 p.m. The parade lineup begins at 2 p.m. on Broadway Street.

We have a dream, too. Our dream is that everyone, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or their social or economical status joins this Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration and celebrates together as Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed that we one day would, with joined hands and all differences set aside.

We dream that Natchez, Adams County and Concordia Parish would come together — unified as one and free at last.