'I Have a Dream' set the ultimate goal for the Civil Rights Movement

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Finger Lakes Community College will mark Black History Month with a discussion and screening of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech on Thursday, Feb. 28.The event begins with an introduction by David Hughes, adjunct professor of history, at 1 p.m. in room A105 of the college’s main campus at 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua. The event is sponsored by the FLCC History Club.King called for an end to racism in America during the 17-minute speech he delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 26, 1963.“The speech gave the Civil Rights Movement an ultimate goal, not just to integrate America, but to overcome racism in all its forms. It was delivered at a time when opinions were changing nationally toward segregation,” Hughes said. “Dr. King laid out a clear direction for the movement, even as some in it began to radicalize more and more, and as violence grew in northern cities with the coming of the race riots.”“Racism, in its de facto sense, is still prevalent in this country, even with the election and re-election of a black president,” he continued. “The education and employment gap has not been bridged, and the devastation wrought by the plague of crack, drug addiction and violence that swept through our cities – starting in the late 1970s and reaching epidemic proportions in the mid-80s – is still taking its toll, especially on the black family.”Visitors should arrive early to allow for parking. Parking is free in the main lot off Marvin Sands Drive with overflow in the Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center parking area. Handicap parking is available in front of the building. Room A105 is nearest the entrance by the flag pole.