Today marks the 50th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the March on Washington. President Obama will address the crowd this afternoon from the Lincoln Memorial, as well as former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

Can you believe that half a century ago Dr. King shouted out to over 250,000 civil rights supporters these inspirational words:

“When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

”I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.”

“Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring — when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children — black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics — will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

I could add my personal commentary here, but this speech speaks for itself. While I do think we’re getting closer to fulfilling the dream – we still have a lot of work to do.

Watch the entire speech below: