Flashback: Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' speech
By David Neiwert Monday Jan 19, 2009 11:00am
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CNN ran Martin Luther King's immortal 1963 speech on the Washington Mall -- known as the "I Have a Dream" speech -- in its entirety today, and it really is something to see again.
Meanwhile, a CNN poll finds that more than two-thirds of black Americans consider King's vision now fulfilled with Barack Obama's election.
No doubt, every white Republican on the planet (see esp. Bill Bennett) will now wave that poll in our faces to claim that racism has been officially overcome.
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Didn't extend to college football?
oh, we gots a long ways to go.
But Martin got us on the right foot and lets hope Obama will continue on the journey. My grandmother had this speech on vinyl I do believe. This speech makes me cry and I remember my school playing it over the intercom right before the MLK holiday. I will play this for my kids, my grandkids and I hope they play it to their kids.
I took tomorrow off work. This feels like all my Christmases and birthdays have come at once.
If someone covering the MLK, Jr day doesn't cover what happened in a Memphis courtroom in 1999, they fail to honor the man.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most powerful and eloquent champion of the poor and oppressed in US history, and at the height of his fame in the mid-sixties seemed to offer the real possibility of a new and radical beginning for liberal politics in the USA. In 1968, he was assassinated; the movement for social and economic change has never recovered.
The conviction of James Earl Ray for his murder has never looked even remotely safe, and when William Pepper began to investigate the case it was the start of a twenty-five year campaign for justice. At a civil trial in 1999, supported by the King family, seventy witnesses under oath set out the details of the conspiracy Pepper had unearthed: the jury took just one hour to find that Ray was not responsible for the assassination, that a wide-ranging conspiracy existed, and that government agents were involved.
An Act of State lays out the extraordinary facts of the King story—of the huge groundswell of optimism engendered by his charismatic radicalism, of how plans for his execution were laid at the very heart of government and the military, of the disinformation and media cover-ups that followed every attempt to search out the truth. As shocking as it is tragic, An Act of State remains the most compelling and authoritative account of how King's challenge to the US establishment led inexorably to his murder.
from the King Family website:
http://www.thekingcenter.com/tkc/trial.html
and the King Family statement: http://www.thekingcenter.com/tkc/trial.html#S...
Why is the media - the left media especially, so silent on this trial?
because there is not a left media. The media is much more to the far right.
If you promote change, you will receive a bullet from the most powerful devils in this country. We all know who they are. They are household names.
Their deceptions continue until today.
Today's episode of Demcracy Now did a real good job of splicing together the best speeches of MLK.
http://www.democracynow.org/
Dr. King's son was on tv this morning and he said he was sure his dad was smiling down on the country today.
No, racism is not dead and sadly it probably won't be during any of our lifetimes. I just hope we continue to make some progress, and much faster now.
I had a dream once too.
I was walking around downtown Dallas buck nekkid.
I was embarrassed as well as bare assed
Lookin' for a place to hide.
At first no one seemed to notice.
Then finally someone did, and I felt humiliated.
Then suddenly clothes were flying in all directions
And everybody was nekkid.
Wait a minute; was that a party I went to?
That wasn't a dream. I remember seeing the pictures of you in the Dallas newspaper.
... Obama's election simply destroys racism's core: the belief in racial superiority.
Can anyone really justify "white only" professional basketball after seeing Michael Jordan?
the buses run half schedule, banks closed, but I still have to work, lets either take the day off or not.
thank the inventor of the 40 foot steering wheel column
Well then........ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDVkpqWGMQQ&fe...
I remember being in the back seat of my Dad's Chevy once in '63. We were on one of those insufferable family vacations where we drove at breakneck speed to get to who know where for miles on end. That song came on the radio and about 10 seconds in my dad pulled the car over to the side of the road and shut the radio off and said "what the hell is that?" It's the only time I ever remember him stopping for anything other than an empty gas tank.
out of your head though!
I hope you have a good lawyer because I think I have a case against you. You have caused me mental stress by exposing me to that song without first warning me that it was dangerously bad. ;)
the bird, is, the, word.
In that MLK picture, where is the guy slaughtering turkeys in the background?
From a huge Family Guy fan, Thank You :-)
and the and the lion was there, and the tin man ... and that other one... you know... the one that wanted THE BRAIN... think his name was GEORGE DUBYA BUSH
Just heard on tv that bush commuted the sentences of those two border guards that we've heard so much about.
I wonder if Mr. Obama would be our next president had it not been for Dr. King? I just don't know.
I've wondered if Dr. King's and Rosa Parks effectiveness was due in part that they seemed non-threatening to whites.
Afterall, the Civil Rights movment had lots of possible candidates for spokespersons.
And I don't know about Mrs. Parks, but I believe at the time Dr. King was terribly threatening to whites.
Possibly, but once others like Malcolm X came out he seemed less alarming.
Kind of like the Beatles were threatening to some people until the Rolling Stones appeared.
I think Obama being elected has a lot more to do with Bush being a supreme across the board f*ck than it has to do with Dr. King or racial healing in America unfortunately.
The Dems could have had Palin as their contender and still would have won the presidency.
Obviously, nobody is that stupid unless they are republican.
Oh hell no we wouldn't have. Dems may be a lot of things at times, but we are not that damned stupid. First of all she would have never made the ballot, let alone win.
McCain/Palin was either leading or neck and neck in the polls with Obama/Biden until about two months before the election.
Even with Palin, McCain almost won. News of the economic collapse was a major factor in the Democratic win.
Go check out pollster.com or fivethirtyeight.
what your point is Bob, but you are basically agreeing with me.
that the Democrats would have won even if they had picked Palin as their candidate.
If so, then I disagree. I think the election could easily have gone to McCain/Palin notwithstanding the almost continuous parade of imbecility or criminality coming from the Bush administration.
You may have a point there. But I think Dr. King got the ball rolling, ever how slowly it has rolled.
It's amazing how tolerant of a black president some white folk can be once Republican corruption and governing incompetence causes them to start loosing their jobs and cause their home values and 401K's to fall through the floor. Still other white folk still haven't been kicked in the teeth by the GOP enough, their fear hate and bigotry would still trump their economic security, we'll refer to them as McCain/Palin supporters.
It would have been a lot more impressive if CNN had shown MLK's Beyond Vietnam speech. This is the speech where King proclaimed, with justification, "that the biggest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government." Perhaps the reason why CNN chose not to replay that speech was because it would have exposed the United States as still being an imperial power with Barack Obama wishing to maintain that imperialism by keeping American soldiers in two third world countries. Obama should never be compared to MLK as that would be a profound insult to the name of a true patriot who, unlike Obama, realized that America had no right in starting and sustaining wars of aggression against countries that never threatened anyone in these United States.
Yes, THAT is his best speech by far.
But the big corporate media aren't going to show what perspective MLK really had and the real reasons why he was killed.
They like the cuddly version of MLK that stood for and spoke about things we all agree on in the mainstream today. That other MLK, who projected the ideals of justice and human rights on the WHOLE SPECTRUM, is probably regarded as a dangerous man sho whould be forgotten by the public as soon as possible.
Many should be celebrated for their effects to bring the change we see today. Dr. King spoke of not just the Dream but the reality of the future. As he spoke for many many years my Dad made us listen. Many whites died for the equality of all. Three young men sparked a Nation with their murders. A white woman from NY name Naomi died helping Blacks votes. So many unnamed hero's were should be thanked for their help. Dr. King was blessed to see the possible future and how it should and could be. Many people before and after him paved the way for what we have today. Racism is something our country has to continue to deal with but it's getting much easier as time goes by.
What's more interesting is with all the problems Americans seem to have with color, heaven has no color problems as we were all created by God. So should anyone still have a problem with people of a different color, race or religion I can only say you'll have a problem getting into heaven.
1. We initially requested that a comprehensive investigation be conducted by a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, independent of the government, because we do not believe that, in such a politically-sensitive matter, the government is capable of investigating itself.
2. The type of independent investigation we sought was denied by the federal government. But in our view, it was carried out, in a Memphis courtroom, during a month-long trial by a jury of 12 American citizens who had no interest other than ascertaining the truth. (Kings v. Jowers)
3. After hearing and reviewing the extensive testimony and evidence, which had never before been tested under oath in a court of law, it took the Memphis jury only 1½ hours to find that a conspiracy to kill Dr. King did exist. Most significantly, this conspiracy involved agents of the governments of the City of Memphis, the state of Tennessee and the United States of America. The overwhelming weight of the evidence also indicated that James Earl Ray was not the triggerman and, in fact, was an unknowing patsy.
4. We stand by that verdict and have no doubt that the truth about this terrible event has finally been revealed.
5. We urge all interested Americans to read the transcript of the trial on the King Center website and consider the evidence, so they can form their own unbiased conclusions.
I have a dream that one day Bush kids and Cheney kids will one day have to fight in wars they start for other people's kids to fight.
...now that's what I call a dream far fetched from any reality.
Gunsandbigots
As one of my buttons points out: "Draft the rich- It's their war."
I would also add to what you have written that not only should the children of politicians who have started wars be fighting in their wars but so also should the children of politicians who maintain those wars, which is the desire of Barack Obama.
Hopetitis O is an acute liver disorder often associated with illicit consumption of simple rhetoric, unprotected political discourse, and repeated donation of funds to the DNC.
Infection occurs after prolonged exposure to hope, often caused by watching old YouTube videos of Obama's acceptance speech.
Symptoms include believing Barack Obama will fix the ailing economy, despite all empirical evidence to the contrary.
If you feel as though racism is officially over, an immediate Iraqi troop withdrawal is imminent, or that we are the one's we've been waiting for, please consult a medical professional. But don't hold your breath on receiving free healthcare. That's not going to happen
http://blog.indecision2008.com/tag/obam-ailme...
Much better if McCain/Palin had won, right?
You're just committed to the "both parties are the same" and "Obama = Bush" memes aren't you?
As far as I can tell, you never have anything positive to suggest and merely wish to make as many comments criticizing the new administration as possible, all the while mocking people who are actually encouraged by the reduction in the GOP's power.
You, sir, are one of the reasons I so often put the word "progressive" in quotation marks.
click on the link. It's A JOKE. Get a damn sense of humour.
Will you be making the same joke in more threads?
Once is funny (though it's humor you're borrowing from someone else). Twice just fits the pattern your comments have established in other threads.
Feel free to try to rebut my summary of your views by making a positive comment about Obama.
you win. Here's something positive. Obama makes great speeches. And I'm positive he's a politician.
MLK was planning on moving beyond the Civil Rights issue. It was important; but, it wasn't the bread and butter of what needed to happen. MLK was planning on leaving the Civil Rights Movement to address the real evil; which is poverty and the unequal distribution of wealth in our country. The true root of racism and inequality of opportunity is poverty. The black and white poor people were fighting over the crumbs at the bottom. If you take away the competition over the crumbs; nobody really cares about the color of ones skin; it becomes a none-issue. MLK was well aware of this fact. He just wasn't sure about how to make it happen. He was in the process of organizing some of the best minds in the country to address this problem when he was shot. It was a tragic loss for our entire nation. The true legacy of MLK is not the Civil Rights Movement; the true legacy of MLK is the tragic loss that America suffered; becuase, MLK was never able to organize his fight against poverty.
see my posts above.
Ignored by so many, because the implications are staggering.
Is it anything like Ron Jeremy's, "I Have a Cream" speech?
remember the significance of today and tomorrow. We all have a long way to go, but we'll get there eventually.
My favorite MLK speech (PDF): "Beyond Vietnam"
Or a video excerpt.
Happy Lee-Jackson-King Day.
Now before you all go crazy on me I used the old name for several reasons. First, all three men espoused virtues that we can strive to achieve. Now, I must explain that comment as well. Yes Lee and Jackson were generals in the Confederate Army but Jackson did not own slaves, he was a professor at the Virginia Military Institute and an extremely devout Christian, Lee was asked to command the Union Army. Both men fought not to preserve slavery but because at that time the loyalty fell more to a person's state than the US. The reason why Lee turned down the appointment in the Union Army is because he accurately guessed that it was going to be used to aggressively invade a sovereign country. Let me explain the last comment. The confederacy was a sovereign country with a head of state, currency, constitution and elected officials. We celebrate the independence of the United States as of 1776 and not when we won the Revolutionary War several years later. And while I am on the Civil War thing let me also mention that Lincoln did not free the slaves in the Emancipation Proclamation. If you read the wording it freed the slaves in the rebelling states where a presidential edict had no standing. Notice that it did not free the slaves in the non-rebelling states. Also, Lincoln was the first modern Republican president. So I think it is ironic that tomorrow Obama is going to use the bible of a man who did not free slaves and was a Republican.
But seeing as how it is MLK day, I would like to spend a few minutes on MLK and his legacy. I think MLK was a great man and embarked on a courageous and noble effort to bring about civil rights. It is sad that today we have few people left with his nobility. However, I do not believe that his dream is fulfilled today and nor will it be filled tomorrow with Obama's inaugaration. The following passage comes from the I have a dream speech:
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Can we honestly say that this dream has come to pass. No it has not. Are there still racist white people in this nation, yes. But is the current racial problem all white man's fault? No. How can it be. How can his dream be fulfilled when college award points on applications based on the color of a person's skin. How can it be when a less qualified person is picked for a position than a more qualified one because a quota must be met. How can it be when there are people that have asked for reparations for slavery. How can it be when there are those people that view everything as a slight and injustice and publicly damn those of another race. How can it be when a derivation of a racial slur is acceptable for one group to use as a term of endearment but not so for a person not of the same skin color, a racial slur is a racial slur no matter who utters it and if the last two letters are substituted by another. How can it be when people look to the past and are trapped by that instead of looking to the future, of looking at what might be and not viewing current events with the lens of what has been. So to echo MLK I too have a dream. I have a dream that one day black people and white people can sit down together and truthfully and honestly say to one another that we live in a post-racial America where everyone is indeed judged by their deeds and character and not their skin color. I have a dream that I do not have to explain to my children why they are blamed for events of yesteryear. I have a dream that I do not have to witness another Jena 9 and I have a dream that I can live to see the day when MLK's dream can be fulfilled and there be no need for civil rights leaders who no longer follow MLK's beacon of hope but march to their own tune. This I dream. I will do my part by pledging to fulfill the aforementioned things that I can as a individual be done. And if injustice persists I will courageously stand with the righteous as many blacks and whites have done in the past and boldly say that this is wrong.
Having had my annual rant for this day, I would like to close in wishing Obama the best of luck and that he can execute the change he promised.
His address at Riverside Church in 67 should be required reading every January.
Linus Pauling once wrote or said that he wasn't interesting in helping people be happy but in reducing suffering. It's one of the most profound things I've ever heard, and it helped shape my assessment that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was the single greatest human being.
Certainly, there are other people who deserve admiration, like Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa, and great people have been inspired by others and by religious figures, but the difficulties MLK faced were astonishing, and his legacy has endured. Racism and injustice still exist and they always will, but he dealt them a giant blow. He fought oppression, moved society forward, and gave us words that will help us continue. Heck, I'm not religious, yet I get shivers when I hear him say, "I've seen the promised land".
In an interview from 1964 that the BBC has unearthed, MLK was asked if a black person could be elected president within 40 years. He replied that there were many black people already qualified to be president, and that he had begun to see changes in society that led him to believe it was feasible, even perhaps in 25 years. Give or take a few, that was a pretty good guess.
Here we are, 80 years after the birth of this giant man, many of us having listened and judged a man, based on the content of his words and character, to be the most qualified person to be president. Once again, I'm proud to be American.
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I was awoken from sleep last night, the radio was still on tuned to the BBC World Service and it was MLK and the famous dream speech. I'd never heard the entire speech before, it was so surreal. If only this is the beginning of a new day, I will have my faith in humanity restored.
The blind support for the "war on terror", that meaning "war on Muslims and bearded men on the other side of the world" in the heads of many, stems from bigotry and racism.
You know all that "truth" that right-wingers are complaining that they have to suppress in the name of political correctness? All that built-up anger and bigotry came out in full vigour with the opportunity to officially hate someone. In classical authoritarian fashion, the fact that the Goverment itself pointed out official targets for the hate, made it ever more loud and intense.
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