January 13, 2000Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Dream Lives OnOn August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. His words—in the speech referred to as the "I Have a Dream" speech—remain relevant today. Dr. King was an eloquent spokesperson for the civil rights movement, and became a figure identified not only with civil rights, but with nonviolence, leadership, and social responsibility. How does Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream live on today? Black and white groups around the country were dissatisfied and disillusioned by the discrimination and social and economic inequalities faced by blacks in post-WWII America. By 1963 the seeds of the civil rights movement that were planted by Dr. King and others in the mid- to late 1950s had taken root in black churches and cities across the South. Over 200,000 people gathered in Washington that August to participate in a "march" that would eventually lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was then stalled in Congress. Reverend King's strong Christian beliefs and his eloquence proved a strong foundation for a man destined for leadership. As an organizer of the successful year-long bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, in December 1955, Dr. King said in his speech after the boycott "...we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice. But our method will be that of persuasion not coercion." Dr. King was influenced by Henry David Thoreau's essay, "Civil Disobedience," Mahatma Gandhi's example of nonviolence, and Jesus' teachings as he began his quest for social reform. His message and strategy of nonviolence was adopted by the newly formed Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Dr. King served as president of the SCLC. Numerous events, such as confrontations in Birmingham, Alabama, led up to the 1963 March on Washington. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Gunnar Jahn, the chairman of the Nobel Committee said in his presentation speech that Dr. King was "the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence. He is the first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of his struggle..." Dr. King's words "I have a dream" have come to symbolize the "highest aspirations of the civil rights movement." It is worthwhile to review the words of Dr. King's passionate speech to understand the feelings of those involved in the civil rights movement in the early '60s. How has Dr. King's belief in a nonviolent struggle for civil rights influenced others? President Reagan signed legislation in 1983 that paved the way for making Dr. King's birthday a national holiday. It was first celebrated as a national holiday in 1986. According to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, this year's theme for the official holiday is: "Remember, Celebrate, Act! A Day On, NOT a Day Off!!" Dr. King's followers are urged to "remember his work and legacy, celebrate his birthday as a national holiday and act on his teachings... . It also serves as a reminder that the holiday is not just a day off from work or school, but a day on and a time to get involved in community service initiatives." How have individuals and communities used the King holiday as a time for involvement?
Learn More
Related Resources Read Dr. King in his own words: Why We Can't Wait. Read the critically acclaimed books by Taylor Branch about this fascinating period in recent American history: Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63 and Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-65. |