On November 19^th 1863, President Abraham Lincoln stood on the site of 7500 war dead. Speaking briefly but eloquently, Lincoln invoked the principles of equality upon which this nation was founded -- principles articulated by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence 87 years before -- and successfully redefined the civil war as a war to make those principles true for all men. Henceforth, this nation would be dedicated to “a new birth of freedom.”

One hundred years after Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, Martin Luther King Jr., stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and appealed to those same founding principles of equality for all men. King began one of the greatest speeches in American history referencing Lincoln’s remarks at Gettysburg and then citing the words of Jefferson. The bloodline of American idealism -- not drippy utopianism, but a sober belief in the principles of equality and objective truth – began with Jefferson, ran through Lincoln and coursed through King. It is only proper then that the memorial currently being built on the mall in Washington D.C. would be placed between the monuments of these other great men.

That is, of course, if and when it is completed. We are still $30 million short of the $100 million needed to complete and maintain the monument.

Clearly projects of this scope are much easier with corporate support and donations from Coca Cola, Lehman Brothers and the South African government to name but a few have been crucial. However, they shouldn’t be the sole responsibility of corporations. This monument is not only a tribute to the continuing of American idealism, it is a celebration of Black America as this nation’s most ardent idealist. King’s words on the steps of the Lincoln memorial were our words; his dream is our dream. And his memorial is our responsibility.

My father-in-law and I have a long running disagreement. He is of the opinion an educational fund would be a much more appropriate tribute to Dr. King. I do not disagree. The fact is, though, that no one thought to organize such an establishment. And would the community show up financially for such a program anyway? To my knowledge, the King Center in Atlanta does not have a $100 million endowment and as near as I know, my father-in-law has not donated a dime to further their work. (This of course is not to say he and others with similar convictions have not donated time and money to other charitable causes.) Someone did, however, begin raising funds for a monument and if we fail, that is, if the black community sits on the sidelines keeping our dollars to ourselves, the memorial will not be built. Moreover, we will have a devil of a time convincing anyone to step to the plate with a dime to fund the “more appropriate” educational endowment.

The King monument on the mall can be more than a dream if a substantial number of black people – not just Oprah Winfrey, but regular folks like you and I -- commit to making it happen. All it would take is a slight rededication of money that is already there.

The Black community currently spends $2.5 billion annually on alcohol; $2.8 billion on tobacco and tobacco related products; $2.7 billion on entertainment and $6 billion on media. One percent of what we spend on alcohol would just about put us over the top. But I am not asking for such sacrifice.

My weekly column reaches more than 2 million people per week; if only half of my readers donate one dollar we can make an impact. One dollar! That is the cost of one soda. Can each of us forgo one soda this week to pay tribute to a genuine American hero?

Physical construction of the monument will begin in April and is scheduled to be completed in 2008. The MLK memorial will be a place I will eagerly take my sons. It will provide them an important lesson in American history, a vivid example of heroic manhood and a brilliant illustration of the power of dreams.