Today is a national holiday in the United States of America. One in which we celebrate the birth and legacy of one of the greatest civil rights leaders of the United States, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner’s non-violent approach to advancing the civil rights movement was tragically cut short at the movement’s height when he was shot and killed by James Early Ray in Memphis, TN on April 4, 1968.
King’s most revered speech was the famous I Have A Dream speech. This soul-stirring speech was delivered August 28, 1963 at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC before thousands of people. Millions saw the speech live on television.
Although King had a draft of a prepared speech before him, he decided to go off script and give a fiery, yet eloquent piece that arguably changed the nation.
In honor of Martin Luther King Day, here is the speech revisited and broken down in an interview featuring King’s speechwriter and adviser, Clarence B. Jones from the Wall Street Journal.