I am a white woman, born in America, raised Roman Catholic.  On Saturday, August 28, 2010, I will be marching in the streets of Washington, DC, to Reclaim the Dream.

 This Saturday is the 47th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's march on Washington to demand equality, protection, and recognition of civil rights for all Americans.  This was the day of his I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  Unfortunately, this beautiful moment in our country's history is about to be defiled by Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and a mass of Tea Partiers.

 What is about to occur this coming Saturday is symbolic of the current state of our society.  Two rallies, one of white supermacy on the steps of Lincoln Memorial in hopes of returning to the by-gone days of our Founding Fathers who supported economic slavery, limited the right to vote to wealthy land owners who were white men, supported the uneven distribution of wealth, and whole heartedly sought the extermination of Native Americans should they not serve their own economic interest. 

Glenn Beck, who chose this date by way of "Divine Providence," will be leading his followers through the motions of American Patriotism and Dissent.  What outcome are they hoping for, I wonder?  It is as if these people are assembling to curse Abraham Lincoln, and demand their country back from him.  How dare he lead the country through the Civil War that set into motion events that lead to a black man being elected President?  Lincoln, they're warning you: they're coming to take their country back, and they won't leave until they get it. 

While this is going on, I will be marching to Reclaim the Dream.  I will be a part of a group of people who demand that we guard the civil rights of all people, not just those that will be rallying at the Lincoln Memorial.  It is imperative that we continue, that those of us who believe in the freedom of religion and religious expression, in the freedom of speech, in the truth that we are all created equal, and that the Constitution is not a document to be relegated to white Christian men and the women who do their bidding.  We must stand up now and refuse to let racism and hate that is thinly disguised as patriotism be the law of the land.  Buses of people are coming from as far away as Houston, Texas, to stand and Reclaim the Dream. 

Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, this white American woman will be one of them.