FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Contact:  Robert Preston, Jr.,
              912.260.4276
              robert.preston@sgc.edu

MLK speaker urges listeners to find their dream

At SGC’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, keynote speaker Mark Joseph encouraged his listeners to look within themselves and find their inner dream, that one inspiring picture that drives each and every individual.

Dr. King’s dream was to end discrimination and racial strife in the United States. Forty-seven years ago when he made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, racial injustice and discrimination were the norm in America. Mark said that Dr. King’s dream, his inspiring picture, was to turn that around. “His dream energized his inner being. Our nation needed a different picture, and he showed us that picture. His dream lives on,” commented Mark.

It’s not enough to rest on Dr. King’s dream, he said. Every person should find his or her own dream and pursue it. Using his own life as an example, Mark re-traced the path that eventually carried him into education as a fifth-grade teacher in South Carolina. Mark received a basketball scholarship while in high school. Due to what he calls his own “questionable character,” he was unable to make the most out of that opportunity. He ended up working for a limousine service in Greenville, S.C., which taught him valuable lessons in what it means to provide a service for others. “That was a total transformation for me. Before that, I felt like the world owed me something,” he said.

Mark began to look inside himself and discovered his own dream – that of becoming a teacher. He returned to school and enrolled in the Call Me MISTER program, which is a project designed to help African-American men become elementary school teachers. He did well in the program and is now a fifth grade teacher. Throughout his journey, he had to take risks and step out of his comfort zone. As Dr. King realized his dream, he went through the same process. “Dr. King took a risk to become a change agent. He saw the potential of this nation and he wanted to beyond where we were then,” said Mark. The risk that Dr. King took has enabled millions of others, including Mark, to be able to pursue their dreams.

Everyone should find their dream, be willing to take risks, overcome mediocrity and make a difference in the lives of others. “Dr. King’s dream lives on because the dreams are in this room,” he said.
 

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South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu) was founded in 1906 and is a two-year institution in the University System of Georgia. Located in Douglas, Ga., the college's environment gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty.