SOMAVILLE UNIVERSITY DREAM

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) once said “Little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers”. He had a dream for the future of America and believed in a new future for African-Americans. I, too, have a dream where the people of Africa become a channel of blessings to those suffering; a dream where Africans stand as global leaders.

Many people view Africa as a land of corruption, sickness, famine, and ignorance. But I envision a world full of joy achieved in Tanzania by the hands of Africans. I have seen the endless natural resources that God has given and the limitless potential of the African people. As we look at the course of history, we can be certain that a time is quickly approaching where Africa will take the role of leadership.

To achieve this dream, Africans must take a hold of their identity in order to build a self-reliant Africa, and be equipped with abilities which can move the world. Africans must attempt to progress from being the merely a receiver to a provider.

In the beginning of the 20th century, my country of birth, South Korea, was colonized by Japan and under its rule for 36 years. Korean men were taken as soldiers to fight in Japanese wars, and Korean women were taken to Japanese military camps and forced to become sex slaves for the soldiers. Korea gained independence from Japan in 1945, but in merely five years, the Korean War erupted, demolishing everything in Korea.