The Boy Who Changed The World

Darkness cascaded around the boy’s body, casting a shadow onto the ground. The boy's dark skin matched the color spectrum of the sky and made the boy practically invisible in the midnight air. The boy sat next to a tall oak tree and let the bark of the oak support his small body. 

The tree was at the edge of the town where no one ever acknowledged it, let alone sit by it. To the boy, the tree was glorious because it was an outcast, just like himself. 

Just like the leaves of the towering oak, the village was changing, harsh words entered into the vocabulary of others and harmful actions were used against those who looked like the boy. 

“What have I done wrong?” The boy asked himself. 

The boy could not understand what made him so hated by the human race, for he had done nothing. 

Tears pulsed at the back of the boy’s eyes and he let them stream down his dark face. 

All the boy wanted was to be treated the same as those whose skin was as white as snow. The boy did not want to have rules that applied to him and not the other boys around town. Most of all, the boy wanted to be free from the burdens that lay across his shoulders. He did not want to change his skin, but the minds of others. He wanted to break free from the terrible monster known as the human race. 

People would say mean things to the boy, directed at the darkness of his skin, and he wanted it to stop. He felt like he was alone and hated by the world and the people in it. 

The boy sat for hours, draped across the trees rough bark, and contemplating the motives behind the cruelty in the world. 

“One day,” the boy thought, “everything will be different.” 

And the boy held onto that hope, knowing deep in his heart that change could be brought upon this poisoned world, and a small part of him, knew he was the one that could do it. 

The boy prayed for change, longed for difference, where people loved and were loved by each other, but the boy knew that it would be hard to change their minds, to abandon everything they were taught and learn to spread kindness again. But, whatever it might take, the boy was willing to try.  

The boy grew as well as the hope in his heart. The small boy that once dreamed of a better life was now a man, a man that could move the mountains. The man knew that he needed to address the problems in the world and now, the man had the courage to resolve those conflicts that had released a dreary shadow on the world. 

And so it began, a movement, to change the world and provide a loving home for all human beings. It started with the buses. How could a form of transportation represent such discrimination? The man wanted to change that. People of color everywhere, encouraged by this man, boycotted the buses until the purpose of the vehicle was to drive people of all skin tones to and from their desired destinations. And just like that, a simple act of defiance, people began to notice the importance of colored people in the society. 

The man went on to deliver speeches and inspire black and white people around the globe. He also organized marches and peaceful protests that did not repent or belittle others, but supported his own movement. This man stood behind love, freedom, and kindness, which led him to his success. Some only felt hatred for how they were being treated, but the man only wanted love. He knew that hatred solved nothing, it only aggravated the others, love is what could sway an entire country, love is what could change the world. And the man did just that. 

This man is now known across the world for his sacrifice and love that he showed to individuals everywhere. He represents everything the world should be, and it all started with a dream and his dream changed everything. 

“I have a dream today… I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low. The rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With the faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” 

-Martin Luther King Jr. - I Have A Dream (August 28, 1963)  

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This is a message to those everywhere that you can change the world, no matter where you come from or what you look like. We are all the same, because we are all human. And no, we are not human because we have white skin, we are human because we strive for love and happiness. People of color are not “Inhuman” because they have a darker skin tone. They are beautiful just the way they are and no one, should ever tell them nor anyone otherwise. The real “Inhumans” are those that think the only people are the people that look and think like them. Can anyone even imagine the pain and suffering that black people had to and still have to go through just to be seen as equal. Black and white should not even be a description because we are not black and white people, we are just people. Why should anyone put down someone just because they are different from themselves? Just think about it, they might be different to you, but that means you are different to them. We are all different and we need to embrace our differences because that is what makes us unique. We are special and we are all the same. Just remember, spread kindness to everyone around you because we are united in love and in peace, some of us just need to be reminded of that.