Realizing the Dream
Encyclopedia
Realizing the Dream, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization
founded in 2006 by Martin Luther King III
to carry on the legacy of his parents, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
and Mrs. Coretta Scott King
. Located in Atlanta, Georgia
, the organization carries out initiatives on both the domestic and international level. The mission of Realizing the Dream is “To champion freedom, justice
, and equality
by working to eliminate poverty
, build community
and foster peace
through nonviolence
.” Two of Realizing the Dream’s main projects are the 50 Communities Network, an effort against American poverty
, and the Generation II Global Peace
Initiative, a peace-building team composed of sons, daughters and grandchildren of leading 20th century activists.
The Poverty
Project seeks to redress poverty
both in the United States
and throughout the world. The domestic aspect of the program is the Poverty in America project, which “is a national call to leadership aimed at fueling local efforts to ignite sustainable
private investment
in communities carrying the legacy of the King
name.” The effort is focused on the “50 Communities Network,” which is a “coalition of community organizers
, organizations, and local leadership with whom Mr. King
has visited, toured, and engaged since the inception of Realizing the Dream, Inc.” The international component of the effort is currently in development, but Realizing the Dream has begun to establish it through recent visits to India
, Kenya
, Serbia
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
Generation II Global Peace (Gen II) brings together the second generation of some of the 20th century’s most prominent peace
icons to address instances of conflict and injustice worldwide. According to Realizing the Dream’s website, the program was launched in London, England
in July 2007, with the inaugural members being King Abdullah II of Jordan
; Christine Chavez-Delgado; Nadim Gemayel
; Saad Hariri
; Kerry Kennedy
; Martin Luther King III
; Cheml Peres; Dalia Rabin-Pelossof
; Justin Trudeau
; and Naomi Tutu.
International Youth
Corps is a leadership development
program for young people, aged 18–35, who are recruited to join Realizing the Dream on international trips. The Corps has engaged in two separate journeys to date, the first to Israel
in March 2008 and the second to Kenya
in March 2009.
International Fellows Institute is a virtual academy of scholars focused on international research in pressing global topics regarding redressing poverty
, building community
and fostering peace
.
International Scholars Intern
Program provides selected students and recent graduates the opportunity to engage in substantive internships in the United States
and throughout the world with scholars who are Realizing the Dream International Fellows.
entitled the “Summit to Realize the Dream.”. The event focused on the issues of poverty
, civic engagement
and violence
and was cosponsored by several other national organizations, including the National Urban League
, Half in Ten Campaign, Points of Light Institute, ServiceNation, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
, Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, and YouthBuild
USA. Some of the speakers and panelists who participated in the event were Dr. Jeffrey Sachs
, Hon. Jack Kemp
, Congressman John Lewis, Jim Wallis
of Sojourners, former Senator Harris Wofford
, Thomas Sander of Harvard University
, Alan Khazei of Be the Change, Inc. and Dorothy Stoneman
of YouthBuild
.
Realizing the Dream has also presented various awards to prominent American and international activists. At the “Realizing the Dream Awards” during President Obama
’s inauguration weekend in January 2009, the organization honored Congressman John Lewis with the ‘Drum Major Award’ for his lifetime of work for civil rights and nonviolence; others honored at the same event included Senator Edward Kennedy
(D-MA), Reverend Claude Black
of San Antonio and democracy-activist Aung San Suu Kyi
of Burma. The previous year, Martin Luther King III
and Realizing the Dream presented former President Bill Clinton
with the ‘Realizing the Dream Award’ for his continued humanitarian
work around the world.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
founded in 2006 by Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise...
to carry on the legacy of his parents, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
and Mrs. Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.Mrs...
. Located in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, the organization carries out initiatives on both the domestic and international level. The mission of Realizing the Dream is “To champion freedom, justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
, and equality
Social equality
Social equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in a certain respect. At the very least, social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and the...
by working to eliminate poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, build community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
and foster peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
through nonviolence
Nonviolence
Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
.” Two of Realizing the Dream’s main projects are the 50 Communities Network, an effort against American poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, and the Generation II Global Peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
Initiative, a peace-building team composed of sons, daughters and grandchildren of leading 20th century activists.
Programs
According to its website and promotional materials, Realizing the Dream’s work consists of five separate programs:The Poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
Project seeks to redress poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
both in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and throughout the world. The domestic aspect of the program is the Poverty in America project, which “is a national call to leadership aimed at fueling local efforts to ignite sustainable
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
private investment
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
in communities carrying the legacy of the King
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
name.” The effort is focused on the “50 Communities Network,” which is a “coalition of community organizers
Community organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
, organizations, and local leadership with whom Mr. King
Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise...
has visited, toured, and engaged since the inception of Realizing the Dream, Inc.” The international component of the effort is currently in development, but Realizing the Dream has begun to establish it through recent visits to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
Generation II Global Peace (Gen II) brings together the second generation of some of the 20th century’s most prominent peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
icons to address instances of conflict and injustice worldwide. According to Realizing the Dream’s website, the program was launched in London, England
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in July 2007, with the inaugural members being King Abdullah II of Jordan
Abdullah II of Jordan
Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein is the reigning King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He ascended the throne on 7 February 1999 after the death of his father King Hussein. King Abdullah, whose mother is Princess Muna al-Hussein, is a member of the Hashemite family...
; Christine Chavez-Delgado; Nadim Gemayel
Nadim Gemayel
Nadim Bashir Gemayel , is a Lebanese MP and a senior member of the Kataeb party, founded by his grandfather Pierre Gemayel in 1936. He is the son of former Lebanese president-elect Bachir Gemayel...
; Saad Hariri
Saad Hariri
Saad-eddine Rafiq Al-Hariri is a Saudi-Lebanese billionaire who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 2009 until 2011. He is the second son of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister who was assassinated in 2005...
; Kerry Kennedy
Kerry Kennedy
Mary Kerry Kennedy is an American human rights activist and writer. She is the seventh of the eleven children of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. She was known as Kerry Kennedy Cuomo from 1991 until 2003.-Early life:...
; Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise...
; Cheml Peres; Dalia Rabin-Pelossof
Dalia Rabin-Pelossof
Dalia Rabin-Pelossof is a former Israeli politician. The daughter of former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Yitzhak Rabin, she served as a member of the Knesset for the Centre Party, New Way and the Labor Party between 1999 and 2003.-Biography:...
; Justin Trudeau
Justin Trudeau
Justin Pierre James Trudeau, MP is a Canadian politician. He has represented the Montreal electoral division of Papineau in the Canadian House of Commons since 2008 as a member of the Liberal Party and currently serves as the party's critic for youth, post-secondary education, and amateur...
; and Naomi Tutu.
International Youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
Corps is a leadership development
Leadership development
Leadership development refers to any activity that enhances the quality of leadership within an individual or organization. These activities have ranged from MBA style programs offered at university business schools to action learning, high-ropes courses and executive retreats.- Developing...
program for young people, aged 18–35, who are recruited to join Realizing the Dream on international trips. The Corps has engaged in two separate journeys to date, the first to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in March 2008 and the second to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
in March 2009.
International Fellows Institute is a virtual academy of scholars focused on international research in pressing global topics regarding redressing poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, building community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
and fostering peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
.
International Scholars Intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
Program provides selected students and recent graduates the opportunity to engage in substantive internships in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and throughout the world with scholars who are Realizing the Dream International Fellows.
Awards and summits
In October 2008, Realizing the Dream hosted a national conference in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
entitled the “Summit to Realize the Dream.”. The event focused on the issues of poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, civic engagement
Civic engagement
Civic engagement or civic participation has been defined as "Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern."-Forms:...
and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and was cosponsored by several other national organizations, including the National Urban League
National Urban League
The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest...
, Half in Ten Campaign, Points of Light Institute, ServiceNation, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
, Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, and YouthBuild
YouthBuild
YouthBuild is a non-profit organization which provides education, counseling and job skills to unemployed young American adults , generally high school dropouts...
USA. Some of the speakers and panelists who participated in the event were Dr. Jeffrey Sachs
Jeffrey Sachs
Jeffrey David Sachs is an American economist and Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. One of the youngest economics professors in the history of Harvard University, Sachs became known for his role as an adviser to Eastern European and developing country governments in the...
, Hon. Jack Kemp
Jack Kemp
Jack French Kemp was an American politician and a collegiate and professional football player. A Republican, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, having previously served nine terms as a congressman for Western New York's 31st...
, Congressman John Lewis, Jim Wallis
Jim Wallis
Jim Wallis is an American evangelical Christian writer and political activist. He is best known as the founder and editor of Sojourners magazine, and of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian community of the same name....
of Sojourners, former Senator Harris Wofford
Harris Wofford
Harris Llewellyn Wofford served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1991 to 1995 and as the fifth president of Bryn Mawr College, and is a noted advocate of national service and volunteering...
, Thomas Sander of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Alan Khazei of Be the Change, Inc. and Dorothy Stoneman
Dorothy Stoneman
Dorothy Stoneman is the founder and president of YouthBuild USA, and chairman of the YouthBuild Coalition, with over 1000 member organizations in 43 states, Washington D.C. and the Virgin Islands.-External links:* -See also:* YouthBuild USA...
of YouthBuild
YouthBuild
YouthBuild is a non-profit organization which provides education, counseling and job skills to unemployed young American adults , generally high school dropouts...
.
Realizing the Dream has also presented various awards to prominent American and international activists. At the “Realizing the Dream Awards” during President Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
’s inauguration weekend in January 2009, the organization honored Congressman John Lewis with the ‘Drum Major Award’ for his lifetime of work for civil rights and nonviolence; others honored at the same event included Senator Edward Kennedy
Edward Kennedy
Edward Kennedy may refer to:*Ted Kennedy, Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy , United States Senator from Massachusetts*Edward Kennedy , journalist who first reported the German surrender in World War II*Edward Kennedy, Jr., son of U.S...
(D-MA), Reverend Claude Black
Claude Black
Claude William Black, Jr. was an American Baptist minister and political figure. He was born the son of local Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters vice president Claude, Sr...
of San Antonio and democracy-activist Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi, AC is a Burmese opposition politician and the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, her National League for Democracy party won 59% of the national votes and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained...
of Burma. The previous year, Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise...
and Realizing the Dream presented former President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
with the ‘Realizing the Dream Award’ for his continued humanitarian
Humanitarianism
In its most general form, humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution...
work around the world.