To say that we are bound together as one people and must constantly strive to see ourselves in one another，is not to argue for a false unity that papers over our differences and ratifies an unjust status quo.As was true 50years ago，as has been true throughout human history，those with power and privilege will often decry any call for change as“divisive”.They’ll say any challenge to the existing arrangements are unwise and destabilizing.Dr.King understood that peace without justice was no peace at all；that aligning our reality with our ideals often requires the speaking of uncomfortable truths and the creative tension of non-violent protest.
But he also understood that to bring about true and lasting change，there must be the possibility of reconciliation；that any social movement has to channel this tension through the spirit of love and mutuality.
If he were alive today，I believe he would remind us that the unemployed worker can rightly challenge the excesses of Wall Street without demonizing all who work there；that the businessman can enter tough negotiations with his company‘s union without vilifying the right to collectively bargain.He would want us to know we can argue fiercely about the proper size and role of government without questioning each other’s love for this country-（applause）-with the knowledge that in this democracy，government is no distant object but is rather an expression of our common commitments to one another.He would call on us to assume the best in each other rather than the worst，and challenge one another in ways that ultimately heal rather than wound.
In the end，that‘s what I hope my daughters take away from this monument.I want them to come away from here with a faith in what they can accomplish when they are determined and working for a righteous cause.I want them to come away from here with a faith in other people and a faith in a benevolent God.This sculpture，massive and iconic as it is，will remind them of Dr.King’s strength，but to see him only as larger than life would do a disservice to what he taught us about ourselves.He would want them to know that he had setbacks，because they will have setbacks.He would want them to know that he had doubts，because they will have doubts.He would want them to know that he was flawed，because all of us have flaws.
It is precisely because Dr.King was a man of flesh and blood and not a figure of stone that he inspires us so.His life，his story，tells us that change can come if you don‘t give up.He would not give up，no matter how long it took，because in the smallest hamlets and the darkest slums，he had witnessed the highest reaches of the human spirit；because in those moments when the struggle seemed most hopeless，he had seen men and women and children conquer their fear；because he had seen hills and mountains made low and rough places，made plain，and the crooked places made straight and God make a way out of no way.
And that is why we honor this man——because he had faith in us.And that is why he belongs on this Mall——because he saw what we might become.That is why Dr.King was so quintessentially American-because for all the hardships we’ve endured，for all our sometimes tragic history，ours is a story of optimism and achievement and constant striving that is unique upon this Earth.And that is why the rest of the world still looks to us to lead.This is a country where ordinary people find in their hearts the courage to do extraordinary things；the courage to stand up in the face of the fiercest resistance and despair and say this is wrong，and this is right；we will not settle for what the cynics tell us we have to accept and we will reach again and again，no matter the odds，for what we know is possible.
That is the conviction we must carry now in our hearts.（Applause.）As tough as times may be，I know we will overcome.I know there are better days ahead.I know this because of the man towering over us.I know this because all he and his generation endured-we are here today in a country that dedicated a monument to that legacy.
And so with our eyes on the horizon and our faith squarely placed in one another，let us keep striving；let us keep struggling；let us keep climbing toward that promised land of a nation and a world that is more fair，and more just，and more equal for every single child of God.
Thank you，God bless you，and God bless the United States of America.（Applause.）
译文参考
信仰
——贝拉克·奥巴马在马丁·路德·金公园的演讲
非常感谢大家。（掌声）感谢大家。（掌声）请就座。
可能因为地震和飓风造成这个日子的推迟，但是这一天是势不可挡的。
这一天，我们欢迎马丁·路德·金博士重返国家大草坪。他将永远屹立在这里，在纪念这个国家的缔造者和捍卫者的丰碑之间。一位没有任何正式官衔或称号，但却表达出我们内心最深处的梦想和我们永恒理想的黑人牧师，一位唤醒了我们的良知，从而帮助我们的国家变得更加完美的人。
当然金博士会第一个提醒我们，这座纪念碑并不属于他一个人。他所组织的那场运动是依靠着一代领袖人物才成功的。其中很多人还健在，并来到这里。我们对他们的付出和奉献永远感激不尽。这座纪念碑也是纪念你们集体业绩的丰碑。（掌声）
民权运动的几位巨人——罗莎·帕克斯、多萝西·海特、本杰明·胡克斯和弗雷德·沙特尔斯沃思牧师等人——在近几年都相继离世。这座纪念碑也是他们的力量和勇气的见证，我们深深地怀念他们，但我们也知道他们长眠在一个更好的地方。
最后，还有一些从未被载入史册众多男女志士的名字——他们曾参与游行示威和高声唱诵，他们曾静坐抗议和意志坚定，他们曾组织和动员民众——所有这些男女志士通过数不胜数默默无闻的英勇行动帮助实现了大多数人认为不可能实现的变革。金博士曾说：“成千上万名默默无闻的、不具姓名的、坚持不懈的黑人和白人青年……带领我们整个国家回到了建国先父们在起草宪法和独立宣言的过程中深掘而成的伟大的民主源头。”男女志士们，为正义而战的普通斗士们，这座纪念碑也属于你们。
半个世纪以前，那次在华盛顿举行的具有历史意义的游行集会，有成千上万的人在那天汇集于此要求得到工作机会、要求得到自由。我们的中小学生们一提到金博士便会想到他那洪亮的声音回荡在大草坪上，呼吁美国要将上帝所有子孙应享有自由变成现实，并预见有一天我们会将喋喋不休的争执变成兄弟情谊的美丽合谐之音。
我们应该纪念那场游行集会，我们应该敬仰金博士《我有一个梦想》的演说——因为倘若没有那个闪光的时刻，没有金博士光辉的言词，我们可能就不会有勇气取得如此长足的进步。正是因为有了那个充满希望的构想，正是因为有金博士道义上的憧憬，屏障才开始倒塌，偏见才开始消退。新的机遇之门才向整整一代人敞开。的确，不仅法律改变了，而且人心和头脑也改变了。
环顾一下你身边的面孔，你会看到美国比金博士那天讲话时更加公平、更加自由、更加公正。我们应该细细品味这缓慢但确实实现的进步——以百万种方式体现出来的大大小小进步，每天遍及全国各地，各种肤色和信仰的人们生活在一起，工作在一起，并肩奋斗，共同学习，共同建设，彼此相爱。
所以，我们今天应该纪念金博士的梦想和他团结的愿景。但我们也需要在这一天提醒自己，让我们记住今天这些来之不易的进步；金博士的信念是靠奋斗而树立起来；它源于严酷的现实和一些令人沉痛的失望。
我们应当弘扬金博士精彩的演说，但值得记住的是，进步并不仅靠言辞。进步是艰苦的，进步是通过抗住警棍的殴打和消防水龙的喷射而换取的，进步是靠在牢笼里度日和受到炸弹夜袭的威胁来换取的。民权运动高潮中的每一个胜利，都有挫折、有失败。