DO YOU HAVE A DREAM?
Do you have a dream? Martin Luther King, Jr. sure did. His “I have a dream speech” is recognized as one of the best speeches ever given. Why is it so memorable? Well, more than 40 years ago, on August 28, 1963, he electrified America with his memorable speech, dramatically delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of 250,000 people. I believe that his words proved to be the beginning for understanding the social and political turmoil of the time and gave the nation the words to express what was happening.
The key message in the speech is that all people are created equal and, although that was not the case in American during the 1950s and 1960s, King felt it must be the case for the future. He argued passionately and powerfully. “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.” I believe that these words had a very powerful drive behind Mr. King.
Even though his speech was a very strong message for white people, King’s words are mostly about peace. When I think about the delivery of his speech, three areas come to mind: 1-King’s remarkable emotion in which he delivered his speech; 2-The site were he delivered his speech, could he have picked a better spot, I don’t think so; 3-The mood of the day, perhaps a sense of relief from slavery among black people and maybe a sense of guilt among white people.
I find it interesting that a year later King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. At age 35, King became the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Do you know what he did with the prize money? Donated all $54,123 to the civil rights movement.
