55 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said in a packed crowd filled with mixed races that he had “a dream.” As his successors, it is our job, as a nation, to come together as one in order to fulfill the dream that Dr. King worked towards his whole life.

He called all of America “to make real the promises of democracy” regardless of their race or sex or heritage. He wanted the idea that “all men are created equal” to become an obvious statement in the mentality of all people. He wanted that idea not to be something minorities still had to fight for 55 years later.

Although at the time African Americans struggled with the various and sometimes extreme repercussions of segregation, Dr. King had a dream that one day all men would in fact be treated equally. He dreamt that one day “storms of persecution” and the “winds of police brutality” would be a thing of the past, and all people would be treated with humanity and respect.

This dream, unfortunately, did not come true.

Even today, 55 years after people were marching for racial equality, it’s unfortunate to see that the same police brutality continues across the country with a rising amount each year. It’s even more upsetting to see that Americans are still having to march and fight for basic human rights and equality that they should be born into.

With the rise of racial discrimination there is also the rising mentality of “superior” races. There is no such thing as a superior race. In order to march away from the “storms of persecution” we must step away from these racial mindsets.

It’s the 21st century, and we have now been fighting racial prejudice for over hundreds of years. We must get over our bigotry and learn to be accepting: accepting of races, faiths, and opinions. We must stop fighting each other and start fighting the oppression of voices and rights. We must stop fighting each other and start fighting together.

In the last 55 years Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream did not come true, but there is still hope. If we come together, march together, fight together, for each other and not against each other, we will be able to make his dream come true. We must put aside our differences and fight for the right of equality, for the right to say without a doubt that indeed all men are created equal.

And one day, Dr. King’s legacy will be complete.