The most poignant and powerful speech I have ever listened to was one I heard more than a decade ago, and to this day, I still remember every word of it. Of course, there were only eleven words.

I’ve written about this before, but it is more relevant today than ever, and I think it warrants revisiting.

It took place near the end of a weeklong “Inspirational Speakers” workshop I attended – along with about a hundred other people. At the end of the week, we were each given an opportunity to get up on stage and speak for two minutes on anything we wanted to. Although the workshop included participants who were already polished speakers, some were brand new to public speaking and had never even held a microphone before. This event gave everyone a chance to experience and practice speaking in front of a group.

At one point, two women went up on stage together. Both of them were white, and about the same height and weight, but that’s where the resemblance ended. One of them was stylishly dressed, and her hair and makeup were perfect. The other had on no makeup, and wore a hajib and a long, loose-fitting dress. She’s the one who spoke first, and simply said, “I am Muslim.”

There was silence then for a few seconds that seemed to last much longer than that. She then handed the microphone to the other woman, who said, “I am a Jew.” Another few seconds went by, although it seemed like an eternity. Then the two women joined hands and waited a few more seconds before lifting the microphone up between them and saying in unison, “We have a dream.”

I think about those two women every so often. And even though it may feel right now that it’s been shattered beyond repair, I hope they still have that dream. And I hope that one day it does indeed come true.

November 20, 2023
©Betty Liedtke, 2023

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