I Have a Dream
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
written by Summer Foovay
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The "I have a dream" speech, given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963 was originally titled "Normalcy, Never Again" and the first drafts did not even include the phrase, "I have a dream". Near the end of the speech, possibly inspired by a shout by famous African American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, "Tell them about the dream, Martin." Dr. King deviated from his written speech and began to preach, using the phrase "I have a dream" to emphasize his points. The copyright of the speech was hotly disputed, because it was given in public and widely broadcast and rebroadcast at the time and in the days following. This was finally settled though a lawsuit, and the result is that Dr. King's estate holds the copyright to the speech, and it can only be shared with permission. You can read the full text of the speech, transcribed from audio, at the American Rhetoric website, as well as listen to an audio file of the speech. I did locate a video of the speech on YouTube that can be embedded - but I am unsure of their permission. However, I feel it is important, especially for younger people who never saw this speech, to actually see the video of the speech. The fire, the passion, and the stirring in your heart these words and this man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will bring to you cannot be duplicated with mere text.
I think it is fair to say that all of us who were old enough to watch this speech on TV at the time, consider it a defining moment in our lives. It is an experience I will never forget. And I still get the same spine tingling sensation of inspiration and the feeling of my heart opening up with pride and love every time I hear it again.
Perhaps younger people, who do not remember when there was a black water fountain, and a white water fountain, a time when businesses catered only to whites, or only to blacks, a time when a hand painted sign hung on a traffic light pole a few miles from my home that said "N-----, don't let the sun go down on you If you are wondering "Who is Dr. King? why have a holiday in his name?" I believe this will answer that question for you.
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