Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's Birthday

January 20, 2003 7:54 AM

In his own words ... On this holiday celebrating the achievements of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his words continue to have meaning for both blacks and whites, conservatives and liberals. Most people are familiar with his I Have a Dream Speech but also noteworthy are The Purpose of Education, The Negro and the Constitution, his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, his Letter from Birmingham Jail -- which some have argued should be added to the canon of Scripture -- and his final I See the Promised Land remarks delivered the day before his death.
posted by marcusb (3 comments total)

I'm a Malcolm X man myself, but MLK has a soothing, conversational, reasonable style that's pleasant to read. Very good post, IMHO.
posted by 111 at 8:20 AM on January 20, 2003

MLK's speech, "If I Had Sneezed" (about the attempt on his life, in which the blade with which he'd been stabbed was perched on the edge of his aorta) is a wonderful combination of funny and moving. Funny, because he (intentionally, one must assume) alliterates "if I had sneezed" with "I had a dream," and delivered the lines with his classic preaching-style passion. I can't find a recording of it, but you can read it here.
posted by waldo at 8:33 AM on January 20, 2003

Isn't this post really just this post again? I mean, I know this is more focused on the speeches, but pretty large content overlap...
posted by jonson at 8:51 AM on January 20, 2003